An Idiot's Guide to Shinobi Life
by thisguyok21
Summary: Let's imagine a Konoha that is full of the quirks and the idiocy that we see in the show, but with the true depth of darkness and realism that was never explored. What will we find? Beware what you seek, for in the darkness of the unknown festering fear consumes the mind, and you will be laughing even unto the grave.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Nice to meet everyone and I hope you will provide worthwhile commentary, and criticism for this story, please leave a review if you have the time. I'll try to reply to them personally, but if I am unable to I apologize, without further ado, I present to you**_ **An Idiot's Guide to Shinobi Life?**

Chapter One: What Drives a Shinobi?

"You three are some of the worst shinobi that I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with, at least I could avoid the others I know, but with me being your sensei that's impossible."

The three in question were tied to the railings of the bridge that Tazuna was only a week from completing. Sasuke looked half dead due to him still recovering from his near-death experience, though Naruto and Sakura were fine, save for matching shiners and bloody noses courtesy of Kakashi due to their piss poor performance against Zabuza and his accomplice.

"You never taught us anything!" Naruto yelled

"Yea, we had to almost die for you to teach us the tree climbing exercise!" Sakura followed.

While Kakashi's exterior was his usual cool and calm self, his inner ego was on the verge of a meltdown. He had indeed chosen to forgo teaching the children before him, due to the fact that they were all self-absorbed in the worst way possible.

Sasuke was lost in his goal of killing his brother and avenging his clan, so much so that he did not know what he would do after he had accomplished his task, nor had he an inkling of how he would set off to do so, or if the village would allow it.

Sakura was simultaneously trapped in her dreams of making Sasuke hers, and crushed under her hatred of Naruto, however when Kakashi thought about her relationship with Naruto he realized something quite queer. Over the past few months, and the day that the trio was assigned to him Kakashi made it his mission to observe them at all times through the use of shadow clones, only ever letting up on his observations when they were bereft of clothing, or indisposed in the bathroom.

Looking at the information he gathered, it seemed as if Sakura only interacted with Sasuke, and Naruto in any capacity beyond a greeting to an acquaintance, and of the two Naruto was the only one who would attempt to hold conversation with her, even if she rejected his invitation for a date, and hit him for his brashness and lack of tack, it was still more interaction than she had with anyone else, and she had never touched Sasuke.

Naruto for his part simply had eyes bigger than his stomach. His thoughts on shinobi life were childish and romantic to the point that it made any real shinobi sick -he suspected Zabuza only agreed with Naruto because his only student was dead and didn't have it in his heart to call the boy naive with his last breath-, coupling that with his lack of skill and aspiration to be Hokage... put simply the boy was a joke.

His skill in pranks was prodigious, yet it was held back by his sheer idiocy. His infatuation with Sakura and his unsettling interest in Sasuke was also an addition that further showed the imbalance within this team. His decision not to train them stemmed from these observations.

Naruto was too unskilled and reckless, putting no thought into his actions beyond the short term, and even then planning poorly and failing to take into all circumstances of a given situation. Sakura was supposedly intelligent -though this seemed to only apply to books and paper tests-, yet her physical condition was unfit for the rigors of shinobi life. Sasuke's physical and justu prowess was exactly what was needed within their dark world, his mental state left much to be desired.

They were a train wreck, plain and simple. With a sigh Kakashi made a hand-sign, bringing three clones into existence in a puff of smoke. Each clone cut one of the genin down and handed the confused preteens a book. The book was a fairly thin volume with a yellow and black cover, and the words "An Idiot's Guide to the Shinobi Lifestyle" printed across its front.

"You three are going to read at least a chapter of this book a week together from now on until you're done with it." The real Kakashi said, watching on as Naruto eyed the text warily.

"Do we have to?" Whined the blond menace.

"Yes, you do" Kakashi affirmed. "While the book isn't designed to teach you jutsu or anything of the sort, it is structured to teach you the fundamentals of being a shinobi, which will help you all as you get deeper into your career."

Sasuke scoffed. "Why read a book when I can go train, it seems like a waste of time to me." The arrogant edge and near acidic tone was enough to make most shiver, none of the members of squad bat an eye at his display.

Kakashi smiled mockingly, his eye crinkling upward, and the genin all sighed, shoulders slumping in reluctant acceptance. "The chapters are short, and to the point, though I haven't read it myself. When you finish a chapter I want you to incorporate what you learned into your everyday life."

Silence drowned the area as Kakashi's students stared at him, waiting, expecting him to say more. A leaf fell from a tree and blew across the space that separated master and pupils, causing the jounin to clear his throat awkwardly. "So get started."

A puff of smoke ended his sentence, and he was gone. Sasuke and Naruto's eyes twitched. Sakura shook her head slowly at the display.

Stillness once again made its way into the clearing, and just as it began to reach the uncomfortable crescendo Sakura broke it. "I think we should get started." Her face was a little red, and her voice shaky.

"I'll read." The words came more quickly than she would have liked, sadly it was the price she had to pay to keep Naruto quiet, Sasuke needed his rest after all and arguing with Naruto would not help in that.

"Chapter one..." She began, "What drives a Shinobi? In the world of shinobi people most often focus on jutsu, strength, and intelligence being the deciding factors in how powerful a shinobi is, yet few take into account that it takes years to gain any ability of notice and that many die long before they ever reach their goals in life. This book is designed to instill within the reader the true sense of shinobi life so that they may survive and reach the apex of their strength."

Sakura looked up from the page when Naruto snorted. She glared at the idiot, how could she have forgotten his disdain for any form of book learning. "What is it Naruto?"

He flinched a little and ran one of his hands through his hair before bringing it to rest on the side of his head. "Why do we have to do this? What have books ever done for anyone? We don't need that stuff, ttebayo!"

Sakura sent him a glare, and he closed his mouth not wanting to endure her wrath once more. With Naruto dealt with Sakura continued on with her reading. "In this chapter, we will focus on what dives you as a shinobi personally. All shinobi no matter how strong, weak, young, or old they maybe have goals that they set out to achieve. Having something to work toward often gives these men and women the drive to at least try and become stronger, however, at times these lofty aspirations are weights that dragging down a would-be legend."

Sakura stopped and looked up from the page. "There's an exercise on this page too, do you think we should do it Sasuke-kun?"

The brooding boy glared at the girl whose eyes seemed to have morphed into hearts. The hate-filled stare was no hindrance to her. He cursed softly under his breath. "Sure," he said sticking his hands in his pockets and looking away from his teammates.

"Hey don't I get a say?!" Naruto yelled, "I mean you didn't even tell us what the dumb exercise was!"

Sakura scoffed. "It's practical so I didn't think you'd say no, but then again who knows with you."

Naruto grumbled, "Fine whatever just to us what to do!"

A roll of the eyes was the only reply that Naruto's comment received. "Anyway, the exercise is simple. We state our goal out loud and then our teammates critique it, giving reason as to why it is a goal to ascribe to, or if they should give it up, or modify the reason they wish to achieve their goal."

Naruto scratched his head. "What does that even mean?"

"Just tell us what you want to do in life, and we'll do the rest, and then you'll understand Usuratonkachi." Sasuke interjected.

Sakura resisted the urge to fawn over him, as this was a perfect opportunity to learn more about him.

"OK my dream is to be Hokage, Dattebayo!" The orange menace yelled to the skies.

Sasuke covered his ears at the volume, and Naruto found himself laying face-first in a crater courtesy of their pink teammate's fist.

"Lower your voice idiot!" she hissed dangerously, hand raised to deliver another blow.

Flinching Naruto spoke again, this time in an exaggerated whisper. "My dream is to be Hokage, ttebayo!"

"Why do you want to be Hokage?" Sasuke asked, though given his bored tone it was hard to believe he was interested in whatever the blond had to say. Naruto for his part seemed to be either ignoring the brunette's sour attitude, he did not notice.

"I wanna be Hokage so that everyone will respect me, teme." Naruto's face was lined with a large grin that somehow seemed slightly predatory, even if good-natured. "I'm tired of everyone looking down on me!"

"You can't be Hokage like that." Sakura interjected rudely, "I know you think being Hokage is about being the strongest in the village, but there's a lot more to it than that baka. You're a dead last loser, and if you keep staring at the stars before the ground you'll never even reach the clouds."

"What do you mean? The Old Man is the strongest ninja in the village." Naruto responded decidedly confused. "Being strong enough to protect the village is what being Hokage means."

The pink haired girl face-palmed, "And you can't always be strong with only jutsu and physical strength. Sometimes you have to use diplomacy or another form of non-violent means to get the job done. If only strong muscle bound baka the villages then we'd never find ourselves any peacetime."

Naruto scratched his head. "What's diplomacy?"

Sasuke's eye twitched. "Are you serious, how can you be that stupid, Usuratonkachi?"

"I mean is it that important?"

Sakura's jaw was on the floor. Who was this idiot to not know something so basic. "Did you leave your brain at home when we were in class!?" she screeched, "That was one of the first lessons, and Iruka-sensei kept giving us more information that would help us develop the skill."

"I mean if it was one of those boring lectures then, of course, I tuned it out, a Hokage doesn't need to know that stuff."

"If you think that, then you should just give up on being Hokage." Sasuke's voice for once held no malice, no there was a soft vein of pity in his tone.

Naruto sent him a chilling stare. "What the hell do you mean you bastard!?"

"He meant what he said." Naruto whirled on his pink haired teammate.

"Who the hell are you two to tell me to give up on my dream?!" His nostrils flared.

"You'll never be Hokage. You don't deserve the title in the least, and if you ever did become Hokage then the village would be ruined."

Naruto's anger was anything but fierce in those moments, Sakura's words cut him so deep. For the first time in years, he broke his nindo. He cried, and he couldn't understand why. For all his life he had never needed the encouragement of his peers, and in fact they, by and large, they derided him, giving him nothing but hateful words, and cold gazes.

He endured that; for years he endured and yet these two broke him in an instant. "Why?!" The word came out against his will, and as it did he knew he was asking more than why they thought he would never be Hokage. Why wouldn't they accept him?

"You're not mature enough. Being Hokage isn't about being respected, it's about protecting the village, and being strong is only one of those ways, but you don't care to see that. All you see is your own ideal of what being Hokage is." Sakura shook her head.

Sasuke scowled at the sobbing boy. "Get up you don't have anything to cry about."

"How can you say that when everyone gives you everything you want?" Naruto sobbed out.

Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine, and she felt slight killing intent coming from her crush. It was nothing in comparison to the likes of Kakashi or Zabuza, but it was tangible.

"My entire family was murdered by the man I once knew as a brother. They don't care about me, they only see my tragic past, and the former glory of a clan long since fallen from grace. I scorn their pity."

Sakura's eyes snapped to Sasuke. "What?" she stuttered out, "Your brother..."

Naruto inclined his head toward Sasuke despite the tears streaming down his face. "You're alone just like me."

"So what?" came the snarled reply, "You and I are nothing alike. You are a buffoon who keeps trying to get these idiots within the village to notice him when they want nothing more than for him to die. I want my tormentor dead, and you let yours walk all over you."

"Sasuke-kun, maybe..." Sakura trailed off under the heavy weight of his gaze.

"This is what he needs. Being weak will only get you killed in this life, and if he can't handle the truth then he has no reason to wear that headband."

There was a sudden noise as the air displaced and Naruto pounced on the Uchiha, the prodigious deflected the weight of the charge and used his hip to toss his attacker to the ground. He did not let go of the offending arm as he his idiotic teammate landed, instead, using it to force him into an armbar.

Naruto yelped in pain, "Let me go you bastard!"

"Shut up you little coward! You don't improve because you don't try, you want everything to be given to you like you thought I did! Well, guess what..." His eyes were aflame, "I work myself into the ground so that one day I can kill that man."

Sakura let out a whimper, madness was creeping into Sasuke's words, tainting them in sour vibes. "Sasuke, that's not a goal to ascribe to," she said weakly.

He turned from downed prey and looking murderously at the fresh meat in before him. "You're even worse than him, at least he grew up without a family. You don't have any excuse. You're lazy and weak-willed, and you think the little show that you and all these other girls are putting on will attract me to you."

"But..." she said dumbly, crumbling under the intensity of his gaze, and the ferocity of his words.

"But nothing. None of you little bitches ever took the time out to try and get to know me, all you do is stalk me. You get mad at Naruto for asking you out all the time, but turn around and do it the same to me. You're not in love with me," he was in her face now, the infinite darkness of his scowling orbs was replaced by the red fury of the Sharingan. "You're in love of with some ideal you have of me, and you just don't get it. I couldn't give a fuck about you or anyone else. My only goal in life is to kill that man, even if it costs me my life to do so. Of our aspirations only mine matters. I will never love you, and Naruto will never be Hokage."

Sakura too had tears streaming down her face. She ran from her crush, and the pain he caused her. It hurt so much,to hear those words from him. Had she really let herself ignore his feelings in lieu of her own?

Not giving herself time to ponder the thought she burst from the clearing, sprinting out into the village proper.

Sasuke also took his chance to make his getaway, leaving Naruto alone, just as he had always been his entire life.

Naruto didn't know how long he lay there, face covered in dirt and tears. 'I should've run,' he thinks to himself.

When the tears finally ran dry, he found himself wondering too the many spots that often brought him comfort. Firstly he trudged up to his hideout atop the Yondiame's head, and the view though beautiful, with the clouds ringing the village in a soft white that danced amongst the sea of the blue sky, he found it could not cure the ache in his heart, so he made his way to Ichiraku's.

He sat down and ordered a bowl of miso. While he would usually get three or more, he had no appetite for it, using the taste to remind himself of his place in the world.

As he ate he heard the flap open, and a voice called in, "Hello, have any of you seen Naruto?"

He recognized the person as Iruka-sensei. He smiled warmly and turned to greet him. "Oi Iruka-sensei!" He rushed to give the man a hug.

The scarred chuunin laughed at the rather rude greeting. "Naruto it's good to see you, but I don't really have time to chit-chat."

Naruto frowned. "Aww, what's so important."

Iruka sighed. "Sandiame-sama called me from my academy duties to find you. You know I'm the one that does so. Anyway, just go to see Sandiame-sama."

Naruto grumbled under his breath, but buckled down and did what he was told. He really didn't want to see the old man, not right now.

He arrival went smoothly, and within five minutes he found himself locking eyes with the Old Man. The man sometimes seemed so soft and gentle, and yet if what Sasuke and Sakura said was to be believed, he was also a ruthless leader.

'That can't be true can it?' He thinks to himself. "Hey Old Man," he blurts out before his elder can utter a word. He cringes inwardly, now for the first time noticing how awkward he can be. The Hokage only smiles.

"Yes, Naruto?" He questions politely.

The young boy in, turn scratches his head. "What does it mean to be Hokage?" it comes babbling out. "I mean I thought it meant being the strongest, but," he swallows at the next part, the bitter memory of the encounter running through his mind, "Sasuke and Sakura said that it's more than that and if I only believe in strength then I should stop trying to be Hokage."

In an instant, another first is brought to him as his psyche was nearly shattered when the full might of this man's killing intent is shoved upon him for a moment. He dies then, his heart stopping a hundred times over in ever increasingly gruesome ways.

He returns to reality and stares at the monster wearing the face of the old man. "They are correct. While I prefer to relish this peace I also use my strength to protect this allow, and I admit that I have at times I have often used measures that are violent. I order men and women to their deaths, and I have killed hundreds with my own hands." he paused and turned looking out toward the village. He wanted Naruto to be something of a grandson to him, yet he was about to kill his dream, if only for a moment. It would pain the child, but to build one must destroy.

"You are unfit to be Hokage. Your actions during your mission to the Land of Waves show that. You do not take commands well, you are soft-hearted. A Hokage is firm and unyielding in the face of the enemy. Mercy is for those who can afford it, and shinobi are not among those who can."

He fought the urge to comfort the child, and his eyes welled with tears once again. "I watched the exercise you performed with your teammates today, and I knew that you would want me to answer your question, after all, I am the one who wears the hat, I would know what it takes to obtain it," the tone dipped, "Those two have shared the feeling of life or death with you\\. You held their lives in your hands, and they yours. They know you and you know them. You know that you are unfit to be Hokage, you know that Sasuke should give up on killing his brother, and you know that Sakura will never be with Sasuke. You know you are weak, yet you are unwilling to fix it. Why is that?"

There was a gnawing feeling in Naruto's stomach. He wanted to run from this. How could words be so painful? Each syllable cutting into his very soul. The shame that lay within the truth of those statements was suffocating. He needed an excuse, something to hide behind, but his mind was blank as those brown orbs bored into him.

"It hurts," he says pitifully. All he can focus on is the pain, something he cannot hide from, cannot dodge. It hurts.

Hiruzen nods, knowing the same pain that this boy feels, the pain of his own expectations, the pain of the hatred of others, the need to be better, and the frustration of not reaching the goal. Naruto was stuck looking the mountain's peak and ignoring the path to it.

"Good you have acknowledged the pain, and every time you feel it stop and think of what caused it, and correct the behavior."

"But-" he opened his mouth to bather another inane dodge, yet the village leader was having none of it.

"Do as I say." He intoned. "I've wasted enough time with this conversation. The reason that I called you here is my grandson. Konohamaru has taken a liking to you, and he refuses to listen to Ebisu-san, I've decided that you will work with him and his little friends on the weekends." The Hokage's tone broker no response. "Good. You are dismissed."

Naruto did not cry as he rushed from the office. He got home in record time and launched himself into his bed, making a shadow clone that took the form of his female sexy jutsu self.

She smiled at him, it felt hollow. "Do you love me?" he didn't look at her as he asked.

She flinched, clearly not wanting to answer, he knew what she would say. He was her master though. "No."

He growled ripping his cocoon of blankets apart as he did so and lunged forward grabbing her by the throat. She meowed out a yelp of pain. He gazed at her body lewdly, she was an extension of him, but if she refused to love him then he would take it out on her. Everyone else was out of bounds, protected by the word of the Hokage or the power of a clan. She was vulnerable.

Her body was nude by creation. Her lustful breasts, and her slender body. "You're not allowed to leave. I want you to act like a normal person, but you can't leave." He let her go and flopped back onto his bed.

She let out a sigh of relief. She only thought of him as he thought of himself, and deep inside he hated himself. Now she was a personification of the idol he hated. She cried.

IGSL

The tongue-lashing she received from Sasuke was eye-opening, her inner self-was not allowing her to believe any of it though. She loved Sasuke-kun more than anything in the world, and even if he had said those words to her there he could not have truly believed them then, could he? Surely he was only playing hard to get.

As Sakura meandered on lost in her own train of thought she was unable to avoid another person in her path. She collides with them rather violently, and they both spill onto the ground landing in a heap of tangled limbs.

Sakura realizes belatedly that she had run into a girl from her class, Hyuuga Hinata. The air to the prestigious Hyuuga clan, and a whispered failure. She had a crush on Naruto, so bad that she was unable to talk to him or around him. It was funny to most of them. She was a wallflower attracted to the most eye-catching (in all the wrong ways) person that anyone knew.

"I'm sorry." Sakura apologized quickly as she untangled herself from the mass of limbs on the ground.

Hinata only smiled as she got to her feet. "It's fine." her stutter was there, as tick as it always was.

Sakura accepted Hinata's nonchalance with a shrug and turned to leave, she and the other girl never spoke in the Academy with their differing interests. But as she the events of the day played once again in her mind she decided that maybe talking to the other girl would help her understand some of the things that Sasuke said.

"Hey Hinata, why do you like Naruto?" Hinata's face turned beet red and she let out an 'Epp'. Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose. "Come on, did you really think that no one knew?"

Hinata tried to shrink into herself, and the pinkette kept her gaze locked on the girl. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?"

Sakura blinked and looked around, blushing as she realized they were still in the middle of a crowded Konoha street somewhere within the market district. While this was not something that was particularly dirty to talk about, Hinata was the heir to the Hyuuga clan and therefore any adults finding about her crush on the most hated delinquent in Konoha would not reflect well on the reputation of her clan.

"Yea you're right. How about we go to a dango stand?" Sakura asked/

Hinata poked her fingers together. "Sure," It did not really sound like she wanted to go with Sakura, maybe the girl was simply too timid to refuse.

Sakura grabbed hold of Hinata's arm and pulled her along, rushing through the thick sea of bodies that lined near every inch of the streets. It was midday now, meaning that most of the villagers were awake and about making their daily treks through the various stalls and businesses, purchasing this or that, unaware of the world outside the wall.

The smiling faces of the people around her made Sakura forget what she was doing. The sad visages of the starving poverty-stricken masses that inhabited Wave Country replacing them. She remembered the horror on their faces when they saw her headband, the mark that branded her a shinobi. They lost all hope and she was just another symbol of some greater power that would inevitably be destroyed by the utter might of Gato.

As quickly as the vision came it was gone. The smell of dango wafted through her nostrils, and she forced herself to relax. Her feet seemed to have carried the two girls to a small bar with a sign proclaiming to the masses they served dango.

On any usual occasion two preteens would never have been allowed to venture into such an establishment, however, they were shinobi. Many a shinobi younger then they lead lives that would bring even those with the most fortified disposition on life. Vices were natural and they helped some cope when nothing else could. It was frowned upon for one to enjoy boozing, whoring, gambling, or any of those other seductive pleasures, but time and words could not heal all, no matter how one wished.

They took their seats and were quickly served a plate of mitarashi dango each, along with a complimentary small jug of sake for their first visit.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not old enough to drink," Sakura said to the waiter, who was an older gentleman in a black suit and chocolate brown hair, with creamy light blue eyes. He was not really old, just slightly older than Kakashi-sensei appeared to her.

The man smiled, his eyes lighting up with mirth, while at the same time seeming to pierce her ever soul. "I can see you are conflicted, whether it is something you have seen or done is not of note to me, it is paining you. We shinobi have to stick together, and this is the least I can do."

He left before she could get a word in edgewise. She huffed and stared at the jug. She was having nightmares about Wave. Questions plagued her every day, like 'What if Sasuke really died?' or 'What if Kakashi-sensei didn't block the blade that nearly killed me?'

She was weak and nearly paid the price for it, and Naruto saved them from her from that fate. It was not how her life was supposed to go, and the memories of the blood and bodies choked her in her dreams.

Hinata took her saucer and poured a small bit of the alcohol. Taking a deep breath Sakura followed suit.

"So Sakura-san what did you want to talk about?" Hinata asked, breaking the silence that washed over the two.

"I just wanted to know why you like Naruto," Sakura answered. "I mean what would the heiress to the Hyuuga clan want with that no name idiot?" A laugh punctuated the sentence.

Hinata's face turned an even brighter shade of red than before. "Sakura-san please do not insult him like that." she said with the ever-present stutter, yet managing to meet Sakura's eyes with her own. "You should be grateful that he even wants to be around you."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Come on Hinata, no one likes him, so why would you. You're next in line to take control of the most powerful clan in the village, hanging out with someone like him would tarnish your reputation."

The vein's around Hinata's eye's bulged outward grossly, signaling the activation of the dreaded Byakugan. This was the first time that Sakura had even seen the white-eyed princess act hostile in anyway.

"I would like it if you reframed from speaking of things that you know nothing of."

Sakura swallowed thickly. "I don't get it, why would you want to risk everything over him?"

"There is not everything," Hinata groundout in reply, voice dripping with resentment and anger -something so foreign to hear from the meek girl-, "You see power and love, all that you could ever want or need. It is a gilded cage, beautiful from the outside. Reputation means nothing, we are shackled by the expectations of others, and the burden of duty."

Hinata would have loved to slap the other girl, but it was not in her nature. Pain only gave way to more pain, turning to resentment, anger, and hate. She reached out and smoothly poured herself a touch more sake.

"You can do whatever you want. You're like royalty!"

The Hyuuga sighed staring down into her cheap drink. "And yet I can't be with Naruto." She brought it to her lips, silently relishing the burn of it as it went down, and the slight numbness that it spread through her body. "I envy your freedom. You chase after a boy who cares nothing for you, and scorn the one who tries to do what he can for you."

"He's an annoying untalented loser. Don't you get that?!" The other customers were starting to look at them. Neither paid it any attention.

Hinata stood from her chair, "No one likes you, in fact, Naruto is the only person that actively seeks you out. If you burn that bridge you'll have no one." She stormed out.

Sakura shrank into her seat, as she began to notice the eyes of the other patrons. She wanted to run, the judging eyes kept her in place though. Running would only draw their ridicule.

Under the intensity of their gazes, she finished her food and drank her sake, taking comfort in its warmth, using it to draw courage she walked out of the establishment.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Anguish

It was the weekend and two days since her creation. Her master named her finally. He called her Umi, and he learned that he could change her appearance. She was no longer the blonde bimbo that she had been. Her body was tall and lithe, her bust was ludicrously large, her stomach was impossibly tone, her hips alluringly wide, her butt was heart shaped -firm yet yielding-, her legs were long and slender, her eyes a mesmerizing purple, her skin a smooth chocolate brown, and her hair a a brazen but beautiful orange.

She was beautiful, and she hated it. He looked at her with those lewd eyes, lapping at her body. He only changed her looks because she looked too much like him before. It was wrong, the form she had now gave no reason not to indulge.

She wanted to die, his orders would not allow that. In the beginning, she thought she would have dissipated when she ran out of chakra, as there should have been no way for her to naturally regenerate it. She was proven wrong after she ate for the first time. The food instantly turned to chakra which sustained her, more importantly, it also made her resistant to damage., She was becoming more alive when all she wanted was death.

IGSL

Naruto walked with dread as he approached the training ground that he was set to meet Konohamaru and his group of friends in. The brat was annoying even if he did enjoy the respect the boy showed him. The last two days also did not help matters.

After their first exercise, Sasuke decided that he wanted to just go ahead to the next chapter which talked about how a shinobi should enjoy their vices to cope with the pain of their duty. Sakura was irritable as per usual, but it was after lunch when things took a turn for the worst.

He was not speaking either of his squad-mates more than was necessary, so he did not ask her out on a date or anything of the sort after they returned to the training field however she glared at him every time he even glanced in her direction and seemed to insist on hitting him at every opportunity.

Kakashi-sensei seeing things heading into a downward spiral punished them all, forcing them to do physical training for ten hours straight, both days. Suffice to say he was tired, aching, and wanted to stay home and rest, the old man, on the other hand, was adamant that he work with his grandson, hanging more punishment over his head should he refuse.

At the training ground he was met by the young Sarutobi and three other children, two girls, one a Hyuuga with the same purple hair as the one in his class, and one with orange hair in a weird ugly ponytail thing, and a glasses wearing boy with brown hair and snot bubble hanging from his nose.

"Boss!" Konohamaru shouted, dashing from his spot lying on the ground rushing forward and tackling Naruto in a hug.

Naruto forced a laugh. "Hey, brat, what's the plan for the day?"

Konohamaru quickly jumped off his boss. "Wait I gotta introduce you," He turned and points to the orange haired girl "Boss this is Moegi."

"Nice to meet you Naruto-san."

"You too."

Next, his finger waved in the direction of the boy. "Udon."

The boy sniffled drawing in the snot bubble, but it dripped back out. "Hello."

"Hey," Naruto replied trying to keep how grossed out he was from showing on his face.

One last time Konohamaru pointed at someone, this time the little Hyuuga. "Hanabi." He said in a mimicry of how he spoke of Sasuke.

"Uzumaki-san." She didn't even look in his direction.

"Hyuuga-san." He was not one for formalities, however, this situation called for it.

The children were oblivious to his slight distress. "Now that you that's out the way you can help us get our transformation down."

Naruto scratched his head. He hadn't learned that until he was ten. "You brats know how to do the transformation technique already?"

"Of course Uzumaki-san, it is an expectation of children of our caliber. Though I suppose you would not know of such with your lot in life."

Naruto could feel his anger boil to the surface, and he ruthlessly crushed it, forcing it into a ball. He would take care of it later.

"I meant no disrespect Hyuugan-san." He would have pranked her or done something stupid before, but since he was followed the book's instructions, he found that releasing his anger in his new way was much more effective than pranks ever were.

"It is fine Uzumaki-san, people tend to underestimate those who they see as below them." It was a little creepy how well she spoke for a young girl, seeming more a woman in a child's body than an actual child.

"To answer your question," she continued on giving him no time to interject. "We are young, however were have been training in the shinobi arts since long before we could remember. In two weeks time we will be taking our graduation test, as this is the end of the winter quarter. We are not ineffective with the technique, we simply wish to polish it."

"Why would you want to learn from me?"

"Konohamaru confessed that you taught him an advanced sure kill technique based on the transformation, however, he refuses to teach it to us."

Konohamaru growled -which was more cute than threatening- marching forward and shoving a finger into Hanabi's chest. "I'm not teaching anyone the Boss' jutsu. He made it so he gets to decide who learns it."

Hanabi pushed his hand away. "We agreed to your demands, and here we are, so I would prefer it if you would reframe from starting trouble with me." Her Byakugan came to life, and she narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Please don't fight," Moegi said diplomatically before the situation got out of hand.

"Moegi's right," Udon followed. "Naruto-san is here and he is going to teach us, so there's no need to fight."

While the quartet was busy riling each other up Naruto cross the distance between himself and Konohamaru and Hanabi. He grabbed each of them by an arm and hoisted them into the air. "I'm gonna teach you brats, so shut up and pay attention."

He let them both down and activated the Sexy Justu, assuming the new female form that he chose to use. After the incident the first night with Umi he could no longer wear his first one, the feelings that invaded his mind when he ogled Umi as she wore it made him unable to so so himself.

His new female body was not a bombshell, it was a reflection of himself, only a girl, and as such he was now a twelve-year-old little girl with long flowing crimson hair tied in long braids that hang above her rear and zigzagged in every which direction, her skin was tan, and looked ruff, crisscrossed in scars. Her eyes were a mismatch of one cerulean blue, and one midnight purple.

Her look was exotic, and something of note, yet not in anyway attractive in anything more than an aesthetic manner. "This is the Sexy Jutsu," Naruto pointed to herself. "Konohamaru show them the proper one."

The boy nodded, and in a swift second a busty girl appeared. She was insanely beautiful, though Naruto was slightly disgusted by her, well not really her, but the feelings that were pouring from his (her he was female now) subconscious once again. She wanted to take the naked girl and do things to her like she saw in that orange book that Kakashi-sensei carried around.

Naruto swallowed thickly trying desperately to force those thoughts from her mind. She managed with great mental strain, to keep a straight face. "You can change back now."

A puff of smoke and Konohamaru was once again his male self. "That is a strange technique Naruto-san," Hanabi said from the side. Her bloodline once again shone brightly, and she was staring intently at the Uzumaki.

"What?" She replied lamely, backing away from the girl some.

"Well, it seems that you switch gender when you use this jutsu rather than the illusion the Transformation creates."

"Wait I thought it was real like the Sexy Jutsu."

Moegi shook her head. "Nope, but this is better, so come on hurry up and teach us."

Naruto shifted back into his male body, then created three shadow clones. "Konohamaru you're with me. You three get a shadow clone each."

The copies took their apprentices and Naruto guided Konohamaru to another clearing that was just a little ways away from the others. "I've been wanting to see what I could do with the Sexy Jutsu for a while," he said as they sat down under a tree, "I need a partner though, cuz I wanna try and turn into something other than a person. I know that a really sharp pain might be able to knock me out of my transformation, so I need you hit me if I mess up."

"Are you sure about this Boss, I mean this might be dangerous," Konohamaru said cautiously.

"Yea, so let's get to it." With a shout Naruto tried his first transformation. He focused his mind picturing a dog, long, lean, muscular, red furred, and deadly. He felt more chakra than normal flow out, it was not much, simply a tad uncomfortable.

Konohamaru watched with apprehension, as the white cloud of chakra laden smoke dissipated, and was relieved when a large dog with orange fur and blue eyes lay before him.

He approached the animal that was no doubt Naruto. "You alright Boss?"

The newly create shinobi hound got to its feet, looking around excitedly. "This is awesome!"

"You can talk," Konohamaru exclaimed.

"Of course I can," Naruto replied, "Why wouldn't I be able to talk?"

"Dogs don't usually talk."

"Oh, right." Naruto's eyes lit up with joy. "It worked, and I can still talk."

With a little effort, as he did not have hands making it very hard to use the jutsu to transform back. He managed after a short while.

"It's your turn Konohamaru. This could really help you out." The two spent the rest of the afternoon training in the new transformation.

It was not a difficult technique, the chakra drain was another story. For Naruto it was negligible, for Konohamaru this was not the case. The technique sucked loads of chakra, yet after he changed back he often seemed to get some of his chakra back.

The limitations of the newly named **Ninja Art: Shifting Skin** were tested, and it was promising. A person using the justu could transform into nearly anything while remaining functional. If someone uses the jutsu to change into something larger than themselves used more chakra, and shifting into something smaller used less chakra, more importantly than that however was the fact that the animal form retained all of the abilities that the real version of the creatures have, such a bird's ability to fly, or a fish's gills.

"OK we can work more on that later, your friends should be done by now."

The two walked back toward the other group and found that they were indeed finished. Hanabi who was sitting atop one of the training posts that littered the area., while Moegi and Udon were bth sprawled on the ground.

"Your jutsu is interesting Naruto-san," Hanabi said.

"I think its weird," Udon spoke. "I mean why would anyone want to be someone else?"

Naruto laughed. "Who wouldn't?"

"He's right Udon," Moegi interjected. "Imagine if you needed to infiltrate a village,wouldn't you rather be able to rely on this jutsu or would you take a chance with the normal transformation."

"I'm with Moegi, besides the boss and I were working on it, and we figured out that you can use it to turn into all kinds of animals and stuff." Konohamaru added.

Moegi turned to him stars in her eyes. "Are you serious?!"

Naruto nodded. "Yep, and this brat," he pointed to Konohamaru "Is gonna teach you. I need to make it to my team meeting so I can do my mission for the day."

"Alright Boss, we'll see you tomorrow."

IGSL

Kakashi looked on at his team with more than a little worry. The only reason that he even agreed with the hair brained scheme the Hokage concocted was his want to prove that he could indeed create a group of strong shinobi.

They were in the mission room, but not the one that they usually frequented. In fact there were indeed several mission offices, one for the general shinobi population (the genin and chuunin), one for the more self-sufficient chuunin who would soon be making Jonin, one for Jonin specifically, one for ANBU and T&I, and finally one for infiltrators only.

The one that Kakashi lead his team to was the one for chuunin. While he might not like the idea that aging leader put forth he understood. No matter how they preformed during their time in Wave Country, they all experienced death and and the choking haze of uncertainty, and as such it was time for them to begin truly getting into the nitty gritty of the world they inhabit.

The area was quite different from the office they were used to. The walls were a plain white, and the floor a traditional hardwood. The clean white surface was cluttered with bounty photos, old declassified mission reports, documents outlining suspected low level spies, and such.

The floor was empty save for a table that a single man was sitting at. Along the table lay two stacks of papers, one labeled C, and the other labeled B. The man was an ANBU officer wearing a Hawk mask.

"Hatake-san I'm glad you're on time for once," Hawk snorted "Don't know why you decided to tag along though."

"My students needed a guide, and what better guide than their own jonin sensei?" Kakashi's eye crinkled up in his signature eye smile as the words left his lips. He was lying about his intentions, it was clear for all to see, why however was not as clear.

"Well you got them here, so let me do the rest."

There was a moment in which no one moved, and by the tension in the air if one did not know what was going on they would not be amiss to assume that Kakashi was going to attack the ANBU member, but the thick air of apprehension was gone as soon as it came, and with it went Kakashi.

. "Now that he's gone we can begin," He stood and turned to the wall behind him, tapping in three times. A whirring noise sounded in response, and the wall moved to reveal a passageway. Hawk beckoned for the trio to follow.

Knowing they had no real choice in matter they quickly acquiesced. The passage was more a human sized rat tunnel than anything else, all cold stone, and cobwebs. It brought chills to their spines. None of them hid it well, not even the aloof Sasuke. There was a slight shake to his lithe frame, thought that was better than the full out shivering of Naruto or Sakura's whimpering.

"Kakashi told me that he's having you all read the _The Idiots Guide to The Shinobi Lifestyle."_ His voice bounces eerily through the hall. "I wrote you know, so I decided that I'd skip you ahead a few chapters." As he says this they enter a hall.

The walls are stone, broken and cracked, and caked in what is unmistakably blood. The floor is the same, and the chair that sits in the center of the room is rusted and worn. It's metal cuffs a putrid orange, the legs blackened with dirt, and the smell of urine and feces that came from it was horrifying.

There were doors, made of thick steel with no holes for vision of any fort, and latches and locks covering every inch of them. From the other side of each door the heart-wrenching moans and groans of prisoners that no doubt were awaiting their deaths could be heard.

"A shinobi must be able to kill without mercy or remorse," he speaks calmly as another ANBU member wearing an obscure mask appears and opens one of the doors, pulling one of the prisoners out. He shoves the man to Hawk, and then shuts the door with a loud thud.

The man is naked and covered in filth. He's skin and bones from the starvation he no doubt went through, and his fear is palpable. "A shinobi must learn to live with their vices to the forefront, and allow themselves to indulge on the outside, while being cold and calculating on the inside."

He shoves the groaning man to the floor. "This is a test, if you fail you will be dropped from the ninja program entirely, and your sensei will be dishonorably discharged, so no pressure, right?"

He pauses, then laughs. "All right then. Each of you will be ordered to kill in a specific way. You must follow through, and you must not falter. Puking, crying,shaking, or showing any sign of fear or distress will result in failure. Understand?"

With fear filling every part of them all of team seven nodded in unison. The only one who had any real choice in this was Sakura. Naruto knew his status as a jinchuriki would make him a target sometime in the future, and the threat would no doubt come from within the village. Being a shinobi brought him protection that he could get nowhere else.

Sasuke on the other hand needed to avenge his family, and the only way to do that was to was the path of the ninja. If he failed to become a shinobi then he would be a disgrace, and his people would fade into obscurity, forgotten to the mechanisms of time.

Sakura was motivated by fear of losing everything. She realized after a few days without Naruto talking to her she really had no one. Sasuke seemed to hate her, though she deluded herself into believing he was playing hard to get, and everyone else could care less. Naruto had been her rock, and now he refused to speak to her. If she lost him to the division of civilian and shinobi life she was sure she would go insane.

"Good, now you're up pinky," He shoved the poor sod forward "Strangle him to death with your bare hands, and look him in the eyes."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. There was no way she could do this, no way that any of them could. They were broken children, broken by the crimes of their loved ones, and the hate and loathing of their peers. Then again those were the best soldiers, broken, and now unbreakable.

Outer Sakura retreats, and a new Sakura emerges, not the loud brashness of Inner, but cold and calculating, and all too willing to cause suffering.

She smiles dangerously at the man, teeth gleaming like knives. There is silence, then a rush of motion. Sakura is upon the man in the span of a blink. Her hands so tiny are wrapped around his throat, squeezing with an unnatural strength.

The filthy waste of life thrashes violently clawing at Sakura's arms, shaking for his life in a desperate attempt to get her off. Her grip does not slack, and the last he sees as he departs from the world is those devilish green eyes.

Naruto makes a shadow clone as the man expires. The clone is a very small boy, frail, and thin, dressed in rags, with short dirty brown hair caked in grime, and broken pale blue eyes.

The boy leaves the room as soon as he appears. No one pays it any mind, too focused on Sakura's cruelty. Its unnerving and unhinged.

She isn't finished when the man gasps his last breath, no she wants more. She leans forward and bites a chunk of flesh from the man and chews. Sasuke nearly lets loose right then and there, his conviction to his clan held him in place however. He needed to stay, he could not afford to be anything less than a shinobi.

"You're up next blondie, and this time you gotta cut his head off really slowly."

IGSL

In the rafters Kakashi grimaced as he watched the scenes unfold before him. He hated this. Hated that he was forced to sit by as his students were tortured and pushed to the brink of insanity. He knew very well what was to come for them next, and he would follow even if it meant treason.

IGSL

Sasuke awoke with a shriek, trying desperately to shake off the corpses that clung to his skin. He did not remember when he went to sleep, was it before he ate a man's liver or after he beheaded one? Or was it the rapes?

How was he able to survive? The question jostles through his mind, and then suddenly a memory comes to him. It was right before his turn, after he saw Sakura gnaw on a man, and Naruto piss down someone's throat.

He was afraid, so scared. He was having flashes of that night, and then suddenly he was gripped by something, and he was calm, but only on the outside. He was somehow in control of himself, while at the same time unable to express how he really felt about the situation. It mad him angry to not be able to control himself completely, and thus he acted out rather violently on his victim. It had to be a genjutsu, because Sakura was more than ready to bolt and and so was Naruto.

The question was who cast it, or if it really was a genjutsu. He had not studied much genjutsu, but he was fairly certain that there were none that could take complete control of a victim, however he was not sure, so he would have to simply look into both possibilities.

He was broken from his musings as his mind caught up with his body and he noticed that while his eyes were open he could still see nothing, and he could not move. He begins to struggle, thrashing about in earnest.

"Calm down kid," A rough voice said. "You're gonna be fine, I just can't take your blindfold off yet, not until we're at the target location, so keep quite, alright?"

Not seeing any alternative Sasuke nodded his accession. Silence reigned for a while longer, and the only thing Sasuke could do to pass the time was try not to vomit as he was bounce and jostled around like a sack of potatoes.

Finally in a swift unceremonious movement he was thrown to the grown, and the coverings over his eyes were removed. He winced as his eyes tried to adjust to the brightness of a fire's light.

He took a quick glance at his surroundings, and took note of his teammates sitting next to him in the dirt. Both of them were caked in blood, and grime, and looked to have taken a beating. Sakura's bright pink hair was haphazardly cropped short, and she was dressed in what could only be called peasant's attire, giving her the appearance of a street urchin. Naruto was much the same, and he guessed he probably looked it as well.

There were two men with them. One was large and beefy, with a scarred visage overgrown by a scraggly beard. The other was long and lanky, no fat, with a clean shaven face marred by a murderous grin and cold eyes.

"We're gonna be training you three." The tall one said, as he took a whetstone from his pocket, and brought it to a short knife.

Sakura gasped, "What do you mean?" she choked out, "You guys look like bandits! Why would we want to be involved with the likes of you?"

The muscle mountain laughed. "We are bandits, and we aren't giving you a choice." he spoke jollily as though he were talking about something exciting.

"W-what?" Sakura stammered out.

"You heard him," the other said. "Don't you know nothing about how the shinobi world works?"

He got in her face, "See, they pay us to turn you washed-up brats into bandits that terrorize their enemies, and its a good gig, I'll tell you that!" he laughed throwing his head back, and taking a swig from a gourd from his pants.

"Anyway, I'm Yosuke, and he's Toragi."

The bandit duo began to walk away from the three kids. As they disappeared from view Naruto scrambled to his feet, the thicket was pitch black without the light of the torch that Toragi carried.

He rushed after them, with Sakura and Sasuke on his heels. He burst through clutch after clutch of branches and bush, fear encroaching upon his mind.

The snap of a branch caught his attention, and in an instant a hand grabbed him by the throat. "You gotta be better than that." The hand gripped his windpipe tightly crushing the breath from him. He gasp clawing at the arm that held him so tightly, and he felt his bladder release, urine flowing down his legs. His vision blackened.

"You got the other two?" It was Toragi he realized.

"Yea, I got em," Yosuke said. "These brats aren't worth much."

"What'd ya expect? Konoha was always soft on the young 'uns. Would'a been better if they gave us a batch from Kumo, but with all that trouble with Suna on the border..." he trailed off

"Shut up, I hate it when you talk politics like that."

"Yea, well it helps to know what's going on in the world."

"Feh, whatever" Yosuke said, as he dipped down and lifted Sakura and Sasuke into either arm. "Lets get these kids to the pit, can't keep the boss waiting much longer. He's already after our asses after Tuesday."

Toragi put his hands in in mock surrender. "I told you, it was a mistake, honest to the sage."

A scoff met his flimsy defense. "Shut the fuck up, and lets get going. I'm hungry as a motherfucker, and I wanna enjoy the show."

Yosuke and Toragi broke out in a fit of cackling and even in unconsciousness the squad of genin were writhing in fear.


	3. Chapter 3

Her master was gone, off on some awful errand given to him by the Hokage. She would wonder what sort of task lay in wait for the young man, however, she felt no need to express an ounce of care of his state. It was better to accept the comfortable knowledge that he would not return for some time -a week at the least- and use whatever scant few days of isolation she received to relax and prepare.

Her life was not by any stretch of the imagination a life of joy. She was born like all those who came into being within the world, having no say in her own nativity. She was no different from the young man down the road, or the gentle service-woman who waited tables.

She was alive, and even if she wanted nothing to do with her "Father", one does not choose their parentage. Her hate for him went nowhere with the realization, it simply allowed her to bear the weight of living with that monster.

She knew him far better than he did himself, having never lost those memories of his that gave her will to breathe. He had once been a hurt child, filled to the brim with fear, and drowning in self-loathing. When he created her he plucked those emotions from the whole, and she was the result, the kernel. She had come to terms with those circumstances.

What did not entice understanding from her was the number of eyes that attempted to keep him hovel under continued watch. She would have supposed long ago that it was due to his prisoner, yet the fact that these people would allow him to put life and limb at risk at the behest of their aging leader, for some poor form of recognition lay bare that they did not care for his health.

The spying was for some more ominous concern, as there were fair few times that one being watched unknowingly lived to tell the tale, even more so when shinobi were involved.

She learned of her watchers on the day of his departure. Her plan for the day was nothing spectacular, she lived on little, and with the recollections of her brethren who lived far shorter and more violent lives, she learned of the new forbidden ability.

It was only her use of this technique that she avoided capture. She took to travel on four legs, using the people's love of her form -especially the Inazunka- to beg scraps, while often simple fair or pet foods of various sorts, it sated her hunger.

Upon arriving near her home, her ears picked up a curious noise, There was a person skulking about near her apartment, and it could be other as people tended to have a rather strong need to keep a good distance between them and her master's property. For that reason, none lived in that apartment building save for her.

With ease from days of practice her shapeshifted again, and with the lithe mobility and reduced stature of a rodent she assumed a self-proclaimed mission to reach the bottom of this. With great care she picked her way through the alleyways that led to her abode, taking caution to avoid making much noise, as felines were abound there.

Within five minutes she reached her destination, and with as much prudence as beforehand, she squeezed her way through the convenient egress of a hole. Upon entering she was unsurprised to be met with the shadow of one of their own Konoha shinobi. She got as close as she dared and watched and listened.

He was a bumbling man for being a ninja, knocking over this or that, no vigilance in any part of his gate, and unveiled in his curiosity. There was hardly any object or instrument within any square of any room.

His stumbling walk brought him to the bedroom, which she had commandeered for herself, and she cursed. She was sadly unprepared for an occurrence such as this. Perhaps it was arrogance to believe that none would intrude upon the privacy of someone they claimed to love, yet still, it seemed extreme in her view, that was neither here nor there.

That man could not be allowed to enter that room. Throwing away all pretense she took a running start and launched in his direction. He heard the pattering of her tiny paws upon the cheap floor and turned. The sight of a rat charging him was laughable and as such he made no move to readily defend himself.

The tiny animal leaped, and in the height of its parabola, it morphed into a wolf, sinking its massive teeth into the soft flesh of the man's tender throat. A gurgle of pain, and tearing resounded.

He fought trying to dislodge the beast even when he knew his wound was mortal. For several minutes he fought, at one point managing to take hold of one of his kunai, the damage was done, however, and soon he drew his last breath. The beast was enamored by the taste of its query, taking more savage bites out of the carcass than was strictly necessary.

Moments passed with naught more than the devilish crunching of bone, and sinew, thankfully the woman beneath the beast regained her senses, and she withdrew from the cooling body, appalled. She put her hands to her head, and tears began to pour from her eyes, with no sobs or noises to accompany them. Her mind was broken.

IGSL

"You think we're ever gonna get any real missions?" Konohamaru's floated through the dry air of the training ground.

"I hope so," Moegi replied. "It's so boring around here now."

Udon who was sat underneath a tree twirling a senbon between his fingers decided to weigh in on the discussion. "I think its alright this way."

"What?" Konohamaru blurted out.

"I mean what's so wrong with not taking any dangerous missions? We're young, maybe we shouldn't rush into everything."

"We're not kids anymore Udon!" Moegi exclaimed, hands on her hips.

"Could you three calm down?" Hanabi made her presence known.

"What are you doing here?" Udon asked.

Hanabi strode over to a log and took a seat. Her new Konoha headband sat proudly atop her forehead. "Nothing, the same as the past two weeks."

"It's not fair," Konohamaru pouted.

"I know," Hanabi replied. " But, we're still children in their minds, and the last thing they would want to do is have us in any sort of real danger, especially considering our statuses within our families."

"Are you really that dead set on getting real missions?" Udon asked.

"Of course I am," Konohamaru shouted out excitedly. "I mean Boss gets to do awesome missions all the time, and he's only a few years older than us."

"Have you seen how he look every now and again?" Moegi interjected. "He's sad now. He smiles for us, but it's not the same. You said he always smiles and plays with you, but he's never happy when he does."

Silence lapsed. "We could use that jutsu boss taught us," Konohamaru said.

"Weren't you listening to anything we said?" Moegi growled.

"I heard you, but come on, we're shinobi and they keep treating us like kids! I'm not gonna take it."

"I agree," Hanabi said. "If I do not prove myself soon I fear I will become a reflection of my sister."

"But-" Moegi stammered.

Udon put a hand on her shoulder. "They aren't gonna back down from this, so we might as well tag along to make sure they don't get into any more trouble."

Moegi huffed. "Fine."

IGSL

"Agent Rat did not return." voices in the shadows talked amongst themselves.

"Do you have any inclination of what happened?" this voice was calm, yet the sharp blade of anger stood ready in serenity.

"He may have been compromised by ANBU forces during his investigation. We have little corroborating evidence of this."

The lack of noise was made all the more harrowing as the killing intent of the shadowy figure built to a crescendo.

In a voice filled with cold smoldering rage and fury the voice grit out in a near whisper, "Find him or his corpse."

IGSL

Naruto awoke to pain. His wrists he could tell were clasped in what he could only assume were shackles, as were his legs. When his vision finally cleared of the blurriness he saw that indeed he was chained and shackled, along with six other children of varying ages.

The chains allowed freedom of movement within their shared cage. The blood that coated the walls and stone floor gave them no hope for what was to come.

"Listen up kiddies," they looked up to see a bandit peering down at them from a hole in the roof. "Only the last one get out, have fun."

He withdrew from the hole, and there was shuffling before a horde of weapons descended from the ceiling. In the past Naruto would have tried to stop the bloodbath, to save lives, to be a hero, the sacrifice of Zabuza and Kiza, the ease at which allies became enemies, and the book taught him that enemies did not deserve mercy and if you need to use them take care of loose ends afterwards.

He had no reason to believe he would live if the others died, however, he had no intention of dying with them. Using his chakra to enhance his muscles Naruto rushed to the pile grabbing a short large club. It was heavier than any other weapon in the arsenal that lay before him, yet he could swing it like a twig.

There was no time to waste in this battle, one of the other children, a girl, charged his flank, piercing his side with her blade, yet missing any vital organs. The response was brutal, as he spun around cracking the massive instrument into her skull with savage strength. A sickening crack erupted, and blood sprayed as her head split and her body went flying.

Changing targets Naruto threw his club hitting a boy in the face, a good distraction with his follow up. Running forward Naruto grabbed an ax from the floor lodging in the boy's neck. He ripped it free and grunted in pain as an arrow pierced his shoulder, and a body crashed into his back taking him off his feet.

He struggled with his captor slamming his elbow into the person's skull. More arrows came, and Naruto finally succeeded in dislodging himself from his attacker with elbows to the skull. A grunt of pain sounded, and Naruto was pierced in the shoulder by two of the arrows, while the other person was killed by one finding purchase in his (he was one of the boys) eye socket.

Before long the entirety of the event left Naruto's mind as he was swallowed by the need to survive. When the haze of battle and bloodlust ebbed Naruto gazed at the corpses of his adversaries and felt the burning sensation of bile rising in his throat. His wounds were already healing thanks to the fox.

There was a noise and his chains fell off. A door opened. He looked at the gruesome remains once again. With a heavy heart, he began to gather the bodies up, piling them in the center of the room. There was a girl with red hair and blue eyes, a boy with orange hair, one of the boys looked to be no more than nine years old, and the girls all lacked any muscle, looking frail and helpless in their deaths.

Naruto channeled the red chakra of the Kyuubi that had yet to dissipate and used it to set the bodies alight. He never seen a body cremated, and never performed the rights for anyone. When Zabuza and Haku died Kakashi prepared everything.

As the roaring heat engulfed the children Naruto spoke, no one was there to hear his words, yet he said them all the same. "I don't know what happens after you die, but I hope it doesn't hurt. You deserved to live, and I'm sorry I took that from you. Find a way home."

He left, tears rolling down his face. Was this what it meant to live the life of a shinobi? Were they all going to become murders drowning in their own sorrow, and the pain of their decisions?

Naruto's body shook with agony, and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and die with the rest of them, who gave him any right to choose? He threw those thoughts from his mind. He needed to get to Sasuke and Sakura, he needed to make sure they were alive, or it would all be in vain.

He walked forward, and the world began to spin, and suddenly he fell victim to an intense thirst, and a dull ache made itself known.

IGSL

Sasuke met Sakura after he had awakened, and she was covered in more blood than he was. He did not ask, as he assumed that roused in the same hellish manner as himself. The dark corridors of their prison seemed to give it the aura of a squalid castle. The stone was covered in dust and stained with blood. The wind howled through the windows and screeched down the halls, bringing with it a bitter cold that was unmatched by the few torches scattered about.

"Saukra are you alright?" the silence was unnerving, anything filling it was a welcome distraction.

"I'm fine." Silence reigned again, and Sasuke scowled deeper.

The only noise now was the constant thud of their shoes on the stone floor. The darkness was disorienting and they lost track of time. After what felt like ages they came across a young boy, like then stained with the essence of life. He said nothing to them, simply falling in with them. He had no idea where to go and neither did they, the age-old saying about friends and enemies keeping them together.

Sakura let out a startled cry, and Sasuke peering forward to see the pale form of Naruto. He was unmoving, and a path of crimson lay behind him. Sakura rushed to his side. No one spoke as she attended to him. An eternity passed just as that, and then Sakura stood, turning to Sasuke and capturing him in a crushing hug as she sobbed.

Sasuke did not hear Saukra's words. He knew what she was saying, he knew it even if he did not want to believe, even if his mind was reeling. It was a bond that should have been unbreakable, it was not supposed to be like this, it couldn't end. Naruto would never achieve his goal. He was dead. Naruto was dead.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sakura felt the warmth of fire touch her skin. Three days passed since Naruto last drew breath, and life felt less and less worth living with each day. Of the children that were pitted against one-another only one left the slaughter pits. The first day there were eighty of them, and now they were down to twenty. Sasuke was still alive, though he was "changed". There was an air of sadness that clung to him, and at times he would cry and blood would leak.

She hated to see his pain and would do whatever it took to ensure he would be happy, and it seemed as if she was unable to leave her own grief to help with his. "Sakura,"

She turned her head to Sasuke. He rarely spoke over the time they clung to survival in their horrid nightmare. "Yes?"

"We are escaping," It was simple and to the point as he had always been, a great contrast to the words themselves.

Sakura gasped. She had seen others attempt to do such. Some of them were shinobi as they were, much more powerful though, strong enough to have jutsu that would allow them to rend the fortress.

They were powerless even still. These men that wore the facades of bandits were shinobi, likely jounin due to their power. One of their fellow captives tried to escape by creating an egress in the wall with lava. It was silent, only giving off a slight hiss as the stone melted, and a thin smoke that was easily dissipated, the smell was awful, and it gave them away.

Three of them appeared with speed that rivaled her sensei. The child stood no chance, and neither would they. "Sasuke we can't!"

Sasuke shook his head. "We can't escape out here, but in here," he pointed to his head, and looked Sakura dead in the eyes. His orbs shifted from their solid onyx, morphing into a deep crimson with a black shape of some sort.

The world shifted for Sakura, everything took on a dull gray. Sasuke's voice came from all directions. "From here we can train your mind, and even increase your reserves and control. We need to survive and become stronger, we need to avenge Naruto. That is now my goal until those men are dead."

"What is this place?" Saukra asked jaw nearly to the floor at the off colored realm.

"This is the forbidden power of my Sharingan. Naruto's death unlocked it. I've become stronger, his death wasn't worth it though."

'You hate Naruto."

Sasuke shook his head. "I never hated him, even if he was annoying."

The world shifted and morphing into a pier on a lake. Sitting on the edge of the dock was Naruto, he was younger about six or seven and his little legs dangled just above the water. On the other end of the dock stood a young Sasuke.

"This is the first time that we met.. its a memory that I try to smother in the back of my mind."

The younger boys paid Sakura and Sasuke no heed. Young Sasuke slowly took a seat next to Naruto. The blonde smiled, beginning to chatter incessantly.

The words were unclear. "I met him like this for a week and we talked about anything he could think of. I didn't really care, it was just fun to have someone to talk to that wasn't out to get something, or treating me like a prince for my status. At the end of that week, the massacre occurred. It was then that my brother killed my family, murdered my mother. I can no longer stand by and let all that I care about be wrenched away from me. I will protect what is mine."

IGSL

Sakura's world changed with the advent of Sasuke's powers. Every day he would take her into that world for what seemed like days on end, yet only lasted second in the real world. He chakra grew stronger, allowed her to channel and use more. There was no happiness in progress. They burn Naruto's body after a short ceremony. There was quite a bit of shock when his body appeared one morning, clearly embalmed and whole. He looked as though he were only sleeping.

That was a bitter morning, even the world felt so. It was bitterly cold, with a wind that never seemed to calm. The squalling gales howled against the stone and battered the haggard children. When his corpse took flame, and smoke filled the air the rain began. A great clash of thunder and lighting sounded, and Sakura's tears never seemed to end.

Naruto for all his flaws often seemed larger than life. His injury in the battle against the demon brothers while pitiful gave him an avenue to show them his resolve, and thus strengthen their own. It was only due to him that Kakashi was free, it was only thanks to his perseverance that Sasuke was alive.

The Uchiha's stoicism did not last through the funeral. He wept openly, tears streaming down his face, snot running from his nose, though there were no sobs. Naruto was never one for tears, but he would understand. He was strong, in life and he would be in death.

IGSl

"Rat you finally deign to make your presence known." Shimura Danzo spoke to the operative. The man he had been searching for, taking up the better part of the past days was once again kneeling on the floor as usual.

"I apologize Danzo-sama, I was delayed while covering my tracks. Word of his demise has led to complications,"

Danzo stroked his cheek, understanding that the young shinobi was correct. With the death and considering his connection with the fool, it was unsurprising that one of his lesser agents was unable to finish the task to perfection.

"What were you able to recover?"

"My apologies," came the curt response. "standard forces were swarming the area, and they nearly spotted me. I was unable to obtain anything of significance."

Danzo growled and the air became cold. While he might have understood why the mission was a failure, that did not mean that he was to accept it as it. There was going to be retribution.

IGSl

Their days fell into a pattern. They no longer fought against each other in battles to the deaths, their tasks now were training. It turned out that the world of Shinobi and all powerful men was corrupt to the deepest parts. The whole of their tribulations came from the head of the Kage, and the great villages.

When the hidden villages were founded they were sustainable, because the clans were unorganized and so were the territories that they claimed. There were all manner of bandit and brigand, and the occasional animal with a penchant for human flesh roaming the lands, leaving no shortage of work for the follows of nindo.

As the years wore on the fighting quelled outside of the large wars fought between the villages. This created a problem. The standing armies of shinobi could not be maintained as the supply of jobs for them decreased. The solution was simple and played into their games.

The great villages created within them a special group of shinobi, whose goal was far different than their brethren who to the common world protected their people from evil. These men and women were given a task that amounts to treason. They ensnared dozens of ordinary citizens, disillusioned ninja, and any others they could find. They spoke to them of rebellion, of overthrowing the rule of Samurai, Daimyo, and Shinobi.

With a goal in their eyes, they took to the countrysides of every nation. The land fell prey to their machinations and brutality, and all of the elemental nations descended into chaos, and it was only the words of the Five Kage, and the promise of protection of their Daimyo that kept the people from panicking. With the rise of bandit groups, the Daimyo were forced to provide more funding for the hidden villages. Those who brought the conflict to life did not vanish into the night, they stayed to train more, to create more, to ensure that peace never became a reality. It was the ultimate betrayal.

'Sasuke," Sakura called out into the air as she searched for him. Her training ended a while ago, and she waited for Sasuke as she always did for their daily lessons. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her to reveal her query. He put a finger to her lips.

She nodded her head in understanding. He took his finger down and turned. He walked away without a word, with Sakura following after. It seemed it was time, and it was not a moment too soon. Sasuke's eyes were deteriorating at a rapid rate and he would soon go blind thanks to those accursed eyes of his.

A noise sounded out in the corridor, and the light of the torches faded as they were snuffed out by some force unknown to them. There was a ringing, and Sakura dropped to the floor to avoid a kunai. She did not, however, dodge the fist that lodged itself in her chest, sending her flying into a wall. There was a snap that reverberated in her skull and a dull ache in her ribs that told her at least one was broken, again.

Sasuke turned to the man and he fell like a puppet with no strings, and Sasuke gripped his head in pain as blood dripped from his face. Forgetting about her own pain she rushed to him and brought a hand to his face. The hand turned green as the soothing light of medical chakra worked its magic.

She learned a little medical jutsu from a scroll that was with Naruto when he was "returned" to them and she devoured the knowledge it contained. She would not allow her other boy to die like she had let him. That was what drove her most days, vengeance, and anger. She saw the same in Sasuke though he did not speak of it.

They were being consumed by those emotions, they both knew, yet neither took any measure to stop it. There was no more reason to live in the world that was once so bright because everything they stood for was wrong. There were no heroes-like Naruto had wanted to be- there were only smaller and larger villans and those who sought their own peace.

Betrayal was a hallmark of the ninja vision, why should friends be any different? Did the pain and loss shinobi suffered together not teach them compassion, or did the bodies of the slain take their humanity with them?

Sakura finished all the healing she could manage. It was not much and the damage would be worse still when he was again forced to use the curse. The eyes were once the pride of the Uchiha, what would the ancestors say of him when he vision fades?

Sasuke moved to the fallen man slitting his throat and taking any supplies or valuables he could. From then on everything went smoothly, at least until they found their way out. The building it turned out was an old castle, and there were no maps anywhere to tell them of its location, worse still the land was barren for miles around. Only grass grew in short shrubs and nothing else.

It was more than likely the only reason their attempt to flee got them so far was due to this. Hiding was impossible, as was simply running across. They had not eaten enough to have the strength for it unless they used the majority of their chakra to push themselves.

"We won't make it," Sakura spoke first, tears welling in her eyes.

Sasuke scoffed. "I'd rather die."

He ran. There was a single moment where Sakura contemplated staying rather than likely perishing out there. She crushed any thought of cowardice. Death would reunite them.

IGSL

"Moegi," Hanabi asked from her side as they walked through the markets of Konoha, ignoring the stands piled with all sorts of food, clothing, weapons, and anything else that fit one's fancy. "Do you enjoy our missions now?"

Moegi laughed. "I do, but sometimes I think its too dangerous."

"I believe so too, but we haven't really gone on any missions alone, they send ANBU to ensure our safety." she had seen them with her Byakugan.

"Good," Moegi said. "It's bad enough having to deal with Kono's antics."

"I knew you'd say that."

Moegi rolled her eyes. "You think so too, he's always trying to goof off."

Hanabi opened her mouth to speak when the subject of their conversation came into view. "Hello, Konohamaru."

He was flustered and took a few moments to respond with his own weak greeting.

"You okay?" Moegi asked.

"Moegi have you ever just turned into a boy just cause?"

Moegi shook her head. "Nope."

He turned to Hanabi, and surprisingly she nodded in the affirmative. "I have done so on occasion."

They looked at her with big eyes, trying to desperately fish for more without speaking, she ignored it. She was used to looks of sadness, and they cut far worse than simply children begging.

"Kono," she spoke abruptly. "Have you seen Naruto-san?"

"He's still on a mission, Grandpa told me."

"Oh," Hanabi pursed her lips. "I was hoping he was back so I could ask him a few more questions about that jutsu, but doing a bit of experimentation of my own will be fine."

"What are you trying to do?" Moegi asked

"It's a secret."

Moegi stuck her tongue out. "Fine," she huffed. "I'm gonna go find Udon. You coming Kono?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The sun was slowly descending, and the chill of the night was strong. Before Sasuke would have made comment on it, just to have some noise to break the smothering silence, now it would do no good. their energy was far too valuable to be wasted on words. It was difficult to break away from the site of their torment. The guards were far more persistent than he had hoped, and Sakura was starting to lag.

He did not blame her for her failing. He was barely getting by himself. Food was lacking, waterways were being watched with a critical eye for any signs of them, and the lack of provisions was beginning to take its toll.

"Sasuke where are we going?" Sakura asked. The constant backtracking through the forest was getting to her. She was tired, thirsty, and half starved. It seemed to her that they were going nowhere in particular.

"We have to kill all of them. Escaping back to the village will do nothing if they live." Sakura knew who he was referring to; the bandits that stalked them.

"Won't killing them cause even more problems for us in the village? I mean they are Konoha shinobi."

"That's why we need to kill them all," Sasuke replied, calmly as though talking about nothing more than the weather. "If they live then they will let Sandiame-sama know what happened, and we can't let that happen. We can't let them figure out that we know what's going on at any cost. I want to dismantle this system, and the less they know of my goals the better."

Sakura gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. "Sasuke, that's treason. They'll have you executed."

Sasuke snorted. "So be it. We've already defied the will of the village by not allowing ourselves to become the monsters they wanted to create. Naruto died because of them Sakura, I have nothing left for those animals."

There was an urge within Sakura to reject what Sasuke said, to bow down. The status quo was great for the people not caught between the great nations, they prospered, but she knew that especially during times of war the minor nations suffered, their fields, and homes turned to battlegrounds for the soldiers to destroy, stripping families of their livelihoods, leaving innocents dead, and razing all in their path.

There were allusions to a history that Konoha never told, and now they knew the truth. There was never peace in the world of shinobi. It was a lie fabricated to allow greenhorn genin to enjoy themselves, just as D-ranked missions were there to pacify them. If they knew how fleeting their lives truly were, and the evils that their own home committed on a regular for no reason other than ensuring they could profit.

A few weeks ago she would have thought that such sayings on the wind were the utter drivel of someone grasping at straws, now she knew the reality, and she knew that Sasuke was right.

The crunch of a twig echoed through the forest, and instantly Sasuke turned to face the direction the noise came from. There was nothing in the shadows of the trees. Another crack sounded out into the night, and Sakura whirled peering into the darkness searching for whatever it was.

The winds picked up, and thunder boomed in the distance. The flash of lightning that accompanied it revealed their surrounds for a split second, shattering the darkness and revealing a man wearing ANBU garb with a rat mask.

Sasuke's eyes transformed in an instant, and it was only the pain that kept him from summoning the black flames. He would not use the technique if he did not have to. The damage was getting harder to mitigate, and soon Sakura's paltry knowledge of medical jutsu would be of no use.

The rat masked man stood underneath a large tree, leaning against it with his arms crossed, as though he were the most relaxed man in the world. The smug smile that he likely wore below the porcelain facade grating on Sasuke's nerves.

"Who are you?" the words were not shouted by the Uchiha heir, yet they were heard all the same.

The ANBU member was next to him in a blink, putting his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Rat."

The question was answered, and all it left were even more questions.

IGSl

Rat finding them was a godsend, as he was quite skilled in hunting, not to mention his penchant for destruction. He was not a frontline fighter, preferring to stymie his enemies with traps. His efficacy left little wanting.

Rat set a large line of traps around a small forest clearing and helped his wayward charges assemble themselves a firepit and tent. With Sasuke's natural ability with fire they were quickly enveloped by the orange glow of the flames.

Sticks of meat were cooking over the pit, with the wind carrying its sent all over. Sakura's stomach growled. She blushed a bit.

Rat laughed. "Hey, now no need to be all shy, we all need a bite to eat."

"He's right Sakura, we need our strength," Sasuke said, as he reached forward grabbing a stick of meat and chomping down.

Rat turned to him. "You trust me, Uchiha-san?"

The question was unexpected. Shinobi tended to keep their true thoughts to themselves, and rarely did they ever directly approach a subject that was of interest to them. The directness of this man was worrying.

"No, I don't," There was no reason for them to muddy the waters.

"Well, can't say I blame you," the reply was nonchalant.

"Who sent you?" Sakura asked. If he was as open as he seemed then there was a good chance that they could learn more about their predicament.

"A god." He responded in all seriousness.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Sakura paled.

"A god?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Yea, a god sent me to find the two of you,"

The matter-of-fact way he spoke of something so bizarre did not sit well with Sakura. "I don't believe that,"

"Neither do I."

Rat stood up from his lounging spot next to the fire rolled his sleeves up while giggling. "Guess I'll have to prove it then."

He stood with a bit of flourish. He bowed and removed his mask. Sakura gagged at the sight. His eyes were dead, empty, as though he were a corpse and the gash where his throat should have been confirmed it.

"How are you alive?" Sakura choked out. If it were earlier in her career as a shinobi -and before this harrowing experience- she would have vomited, however, the horrors of the past days made her resilient to death, though it was far from unnerving.

"I'm not," Rat replied in a slow drawl. "I'm as dead as the poor sods you left behind."

Sasuke glared at him, "You're a dead man, don't judge me."

"I wasn't judging, just saying. I know what it's like to be stuck under the thumb of a master whom I hate. Freedom even in death is preferable. You saved them."

Sasuke snarled, "Tell that to Naruto."

The anger and madness that roiled within the onyx orbs of the last Uchiha did not phase him, Sakura, on the other hand, was shaking al the killing intent pulse from him.

"Calm down boy." Their eyes met, and the soulless void overwhelmed the blackness, and Sasuke looked away.

"There is hope for your friend, I was raised from the dead after all."

"I don't believe it!" Sakura shouted. She was pale and shaking.

Rat laughed. "Why do you think that? Is it really that crazy that a man could come back to life in a world where people control the very elements?"

"We don't see, people getting up after they die," Sakura shot back.

Rat chuckled, "Fair enough."

Sakura continued to eye the man with suspicion. He took her glares and staring with ease. He was used to so much more when he had been alive under the thumb of that man. There was not a day that went by that he did not wish that he could simply extract revenge, now was not the time to dwell on past defeats and humiliations.

The night passed quickly. Due to being undead Rat was able to take shift all night leaving the two children to rest. They needed it more than they were willing to admit. Both of them were suffering from light cases of chakra burns -a condition caused by continued use of chakra nodes without any real breaks between. the symptoms included burned out tenketsu and an inability to mold chakra properly if left untreated-, and were more than a little hungry.

Their frames were gaunt due to the intense workout routines they were forced to endure. Sakura's ribs were exposed, and Sasuke's cheeks were hollow and even paler than usual. The odor of death and decay clung to them as well. To their luck there was a stream close by, allowing them to bathe.

When the morning sun arose Rat led them to a lightly trodden road. It seemed that it never saw much traffic on foot, even less coming by cart. The walk the dirt was calm and quiet, without the perpetual expectation of an ambush.

"Who sent you?" Sasuke asked that morning.

"My lady," Rat replied. "She told me I needed to rescue you so that she could have an audience."

"Your lady?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, my lady. It's what I call her," Rat replied. "There was darkness on the other side and she saved me. Loyalty was the least that I could offer."

Neither child responded. The emotion in his voice, the inky bleakness that lurked within was more than enough to tell them that he went through much. The pain was something that they all shared, and death followed along as well. It was the untold truth of the world that they lived in. Some many suffered in silence died in agony and were rewarded with nothing.

How many men and women fell to their own due to the greed of the Kage? How many were forced to kill their own brethren for the glory of their villages? Naruto was no more than ashes because of them.

They journeyed on. Sasuke nor Sakura had any trust for the dead man, yet there was no passage forth without his help. Alone they were weak, starved, easy prey for a wily hunter. It was far easier to watch a perceived threat than search for hidden ones.

For three days they marched. Few words were shared between them tension making conversation undesirable. Sasuke had little for words either way, his mind was awash with vengeance. The end of his clan weighed heavily on his mind, though now it was crushing with the added burden of Naruto's death. He was too young to defend his family, and he was too weak to safeguard himself and his team.

It was agonizing. He endured. The harsh bitterness of failure would only serve as fuel. The souls of his slain kin and fallen comrades demanded retribution, which he would deliver. Now he was inept, unmolded, frail, no match for the ones responsible for their torment.

"We are here," Rat said, pointing to a cave.

The cave was odd. There was a strange energy that flowed from its opening. While it seemed familiar it was not chakra. The inside of the cave was empty. No light was visible.

Sasuke tensed in preparation for a fight, then the shadows faded revealing a young woman. She was tall and slender, wearing a loose-fitting black kimono that complimented her red hair, and drew gazes into her purple eyes.

"Rat, you found them," her voice was melodic, and her presence seemed to command an air of respect and authority.

"Yes, your words rang true."

"Good, though I suppose these two will want answers."

"Yes, we do," Sakura said. "Who the hell are you?"

The woman laughed at the pinkette's impatience. She did not fault the girl for wanting to know. "I have no name. You may call me whatever you wish."

"What do you want?" This time it was Sasuke who spoke.

She did not reply. Actions would give them all the answers they wanted. She pointed a finger at Rat. The man let out a choked gurgle, clutching at his chest, and thrashing about. The two genin made no moves to help him.

He screamed out, voice harsh and scratchy begging for help, and they still watched, entranced by the power of the supposed goddess. The screams died out and thick black smoke began to waft from his body concealing him from view. When the smoke faded the body was gone.

"The dead are mine to control," her melodic tones were awash with madness. "You want your friend alive, but what are you willing to trade? Everything comes at a price."

"We have nothing to offer you," Sakura nearly shouted. She was near the end of her rope with the happenings around her. Dread suffocated her every moment. Her mind screamed for her to run. Her only source of reprieve was Sasuke and the strength that he put forth.

'What do you want?" The last Uchiha growled.

The goddess smiled. "Good boy. I thought you'd be bullheaded, but getting down to business is much more fun. If you want your friend back then Uchiha I need an eye from you and Haruno I need an arm. Give me both and your friend will live once again."

The Uchiha's eyes were the pride of the clan. Losing so much as one eye would make his a disgrace among them, and yet they were dead. What good were the customs of a dead people?

Sasuke often dreamt of rebuilding the Uchiha to the greatness that they once held within the world, yet what was it worth to do so. The corruption revealed showed that none were above reproach. The venerable visage of the Hokage was stained by the filth that he allowed to wear the sign of the village.

His family founded the village, helped to create the sordid pool of waste. How much had they known? How much did they influence its practices? His clan's honor meant nothing, far too much lay hidden beneath the surface, and he was not yet willing to brave the waters.

With shaking hands Sasuke touched his face. Despite his feeling in regards to his kin, his eyes were essential to their survival up until they met Rat. Was it worth it to see Naruto if they were too weak to keep him safe, to stave off death for him once again? What if the goddess was a deception of some sort?

Sakura depended on him as well, and if he made the wrong choice then it was likely they would die. There was far too much to lose and much more to gain. He resolved himself and plunged his fingers into his eye socket. It was as if fiery knives were plunged into his face. He bit his cheek nearly letting his grip go.

Sakura screamed for him. The brutality of his self-mutilation broke the lock that held back the bile that was a constant irritant in her chest. She vomited. The sight of the ruined socket cacked in blood was burned into her memory.

When the eye finally came free from its bounds it was snatched up. "Now your turn."

Sakura gulped and gagged. It was terrifying enough to see Sasuke do something so brutal to himself, to do worse to her own body was ghastly. She wanted no part of this frightful ritual.

She had no choice. Sasuke would go to the ends of the world if it meant he could see the one person that he thought of as a friend. Hinata had been right. While Sasuke might have finally been able to talk to her as though she were a person now, it was only due to the influence and death of Naruto.

She took a kunai from her pouch. The blade was sharp and polished, like every other that she had. She hardly ever used them before. She wished she never got to. The stories in the academy left her unprepared for the truth of this life. All they ever talked of were heroes and how best to deal with an adversary, or they would review some mundane task that civilian child could do with little effort.

None of those lessons gave insight into the squalid states they found themselves in. There were no teachings of brothers on opposing side of the same factions due to manipulation, the people who had their homes burned, their fathers and brothers killed, and their mothers and daughters raped, all for the sake of keeping the village systems afloat.

Hatred and despondency flowed through all that came into contact with shinobi. The brainwashing was thorough, making these men and women out to be heroes when they were all merchants of death, sent to dispatch whomever they were told. There was no good nor evil within the realm they saw as their own. Those who were not prepared to fight and kill perished.

She took the blade to her limb in a sudden motion. She forced her eyes shut and howled out. The arm came off with that one stroke of the blade, and as it went the numbness of shock and blood loss came as well. She did not open her eyes, afraid of what she would see. Luckily for her, the black of unconsciousness took her soon after.

IGSl

"Hinata, I need to talk to you," Hanabi said as she walked into her sister's room. It would have been rude of anyone else as Hinata was a private person, the blonds of siblings tended to circumvent such issues.

Hinata was reading a book at a small desk in the corner of her room. She looked up from it. "Is everything alright Hanabi?"

"Everything's fine, I was just working on a jutsu and I needed your help."

"What jutsu?"

Hanabi smirked and put her fingers into the now familiar seal. It was second nature to her at this point to use the technique, it was time to start experimenting. She would take proper precaution, hence Hinata's involvement. The smoke that came dissipated quickly leaving her in the guise of a young boy about Hinata's age.

Her form was lithe, yet well muscled for the age, at the same time lacking the bulging biceps and pectorals. It was a sight to behold for Hinata, principally due to Hanabi's lack of foresight. It was normal for her to use the technique to morph into an animal of some kind, and the anatomy of those creatures did not require clothing. The same could not be said for a human.

The spectacle of a young boy appearing nude in front of her sent Hinata into shock. She was not expecting such a view. Her brain was overloaded and she fell to the floor, blood pouring from her nose.

Hanabi facepalmed. She forgot how her sister got when confronted with the sight of her crush or the exposed figure of a man. Hinata was shy to the extent that it was likely that she would never be able to confess the truth of her feelings to the boy that she cared for the most in the world, and that she in all likelihood would not find someone who cared for her.

She was far too gentle a soul, kind and pure, and unable to express herself like others. That was the true weakness in Hanabi's eyes. Hinata lacked the ability to speak up. It was the reason for her father's cold treatment and harsh lessons. The man wanted her to stand up to him.

It took a few minutes for Hinata to wake. When she did she was once again face to face with the same nude boy. She suspected that it was Hanabi using the transformation, so she activated her Byakugan. Her vision did not betray an illusion. The boy in front of her was in fact real.

She quickly deactivated her kekkei genkai, and spun to face the opposite direction. "W-what is t-this?" she stuttered out

"It's the jutsu I was working on," Hanabi replied offhandedly. "I was trying to see if you could help me out with it."

"I can't." Hinata squeaked. "Please go to your own room."

Hanabi was a bit perturbed. "Why?"

"Hanabi it's improper for you to be in here when you're like..." she trailed off.

"I'm your sister."

'And right now you're a boy, so please."

'Why can't I be in here while I'm a boy?"

"Boys and girls shouldn't be around each other when they are indecent. Hanabi go to your room."

The truth was that Hanabi knew there would be consequences if it were to be known. She was simply curious as to the reason adults split boys and girls up. She knew that they were different down there, she just did not know what the difference meant.

"Tell me why I can't be in here,"

Hinata stared at Hanabi, silently begging the girl-turned-boy to leave well enough alone. She was not budging. Hinata sighed. "B-boys and g-girls are d-different, especially d-down there."

"I know that," Hanabi huffed. "I want to know why its such a big deal."

The thought of explaining such a subject to her little sister was unpleasant, to say the least. If it were any other child she might have tried to play the big sister card and force her out, such action was inadvisable due to her considerable skill in the gentle fist, and her hardheadedness. The girl was persistent to the point of relentlessness. She would not stop until she learned what she wanted to know.

"W-when a man l-loves a woman... he puts his t-thing inside of her. I-if they find you in here, they'll think..."

Hanabi scratched her chin. She'd always assumed the hole was just for pee. She tried to envision the sight of something so big going in, but she could not.

"Have you ever done it?"

"N-no!" Hinata yelled out. She slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Let me try it with you."

"I told you what you wanted to know, so leave."

"Come on, they've been hiding this from us for years, don't you wanna try it out?"

For Hanabi, the entire endeavor was to learn what the adults knew. It seemed as if they always hid the best things from children, and this was likely one of those things.

"No, it's wrong."

"Who told you that?" Hanabi bit out. "The adults who never let us do anything?"

"If you do it then the girl might get pregnant. We're family we'd be in so much trouble if it that happened."

"Wait, that's where babies come from? I thought the stork dropped them off."

"Leave."

"Fine."

IGSl

The next day Hanabi went to the library in the same guise, though clothed this time, and she took out a searched out a book on human anatomy. In no time she had a basic knowledge of the differences between males and females, and a slight grasp on the process of reproduction in humans. Hinata did not lie. If she had caved into having sex with Hanabi then there was a good chance that she would have found herself with a child.

It was understandable that it was something she sought to avoid, but she did lie a bit. She did not explain condoms at all or anything else. It was probably an attempt to scare her off the subject.

The rest of the day passed easily. She and her team went on a few missions of no import. When the team called it a day she slipped to the local store and made her purchase. She was a fair bit nervous, the consequences would be grave if she did not perform.

She made her way home and trained as she usually did, and took to bed early after dinner. When the entire estate was quiet for the night she carefully got out of bed and slunk out into the halls. With as much stealth as she could muster she erred on to Hinata's room.

The door was unlocked. She opened it walked in and closed it behind herself. Hinata was awake reading as was her wont during the night. She was startled by the sound of the door opening.

"H-Hanabi, you scared me."

"You lied to me," Hanabi replied. "I read a book about sex. I know about condoms and the anti-pregnancy technique."

"We're siblings. Of course, I lied."

It was irrational for her to be angry at her sister, Hanabi knew that. She did not want to argue or fight with her, but over the course of her entire life, she could safely say that she was the only person that truly cared about Hinata. Her father wanted her to be strong so that she could take on the role of being clan head, and the elders wanted another idiot that would do their bidding.

She was the only one that was there for Hinata in the ways that she needed and any time she needed someone to comfort her she was there. Lately, it was becoming clear that their relationship was strained. With the approaching genin exams, Hanabi took more time to herself, pursuing greater knowledge of the shinobi arts.

From what the books told her sex not only produced children, it was also a form of bonding for adults. It made them closer, and she sought closeness with her only sister. That was the reason she became a genin early when she could have waited, it was the reason she tried her hardest in every spar. She was always trying to push Hinata to do better and to be there when the girl could take no more.

It was frustrating for her to know that her own sister whom she loved and cared for would not be willing to take part in that. Whenever they spared Hinata never gave it her all, allowing Hanai to win, they never saw one another during the day as Hinata's team rarely came to the mission desk, they were drifting apart.

"Do it with me," Hanabi said

"We can't."

"Hinata i have condoms and everything."

"I said no."

"Fine then, I'll pester you until you say yes." Hanabi left.

IGSL

Two weeks past and true to Hanabi's promise the girl did not stop harassing her sister. Every night she asked only to get rejected, and every day she would drop hints about it. It was grinding on Hinata's nerves, and there was nothing that she could do. If she told her father she would have to prove that the jutsu Hanabi used was real, and that his youngest daughter was trying to have sex with his oldest.

She would have continued to ignore the advances of the younger girl, if not for the news she received two days ago. Naruto was dead. Sakura and Sasuke returned to the village without him, and a story of his death. She told Sakura not even a month ago that she should cherish him, and now he was gone, without Sakura ever coming to appreciate what he meant to her, and without Hinata getting the chance to confess.

It was on a rainy night that Hanabi came to her sister. She transformed into the same boy as before. It was more and less than she foresaw a coupling with the boy she came to love. They were both inexperienced, though Hanabi was armed with technical knowledge.

There was much awkward touching and kissing, and there was pleasure. The pleasure of having someone inside her was unexpected and it nearly gave her a heart attack. The passion of the boys hands roaming her body, the searing feeling of him inside her, it was all too much to take.

She knew she was only doing it to satiate the hole in her heart. The moments that she shared with her sister were some she would take with her to the grave, and she knew no one would understand. It was wrong she knew, and yet it felt so right.

She would never forget about the boy that helped her find a reason to live. It was hard to know that he was gone, that she'd never get to see him again, to have that pain gnawing at her heart. Hanabi helped her cope.

There were some who were suspicious of their sudden closeness, and the gutsy displays she gave during sparring sessions. She was changing, and none were happy about it. She realized when she did not stand up for herself it was easy to allow people's word's to get to her. It was a weakness that they exploited.

She would no longer be that person they could control. She would forge her own path just as Naruto did. It was weird actually to think of the effect that he had on Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura was crying during the funeral, and the Uchiha looked as if he were fighting back tears.

She knew he was strong from the very moment she laid eyes on him, and she wished he was alive to see what she was becoming, and to find the love that he never got in life. Wishing does not good, however, so Hinata took action. She would forge her own path in life just as he had before.

In life, he was a symbol of the never surrender attitude, and in death he would be a martyr. She would fight with him by her side -if only in spirit-.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the leader of Konoha for many reasons, and chief among those was his ability to secure advantages for the man and women that served him. It was an arduous task, one that often required more sacrifice than most were willing to give.

It was laughable how little the men and women who called themselves shinobi differed from those who walked the path before them. Power was loved and taken seriously in his youth, and there were many men and women that would have surely leveled the most powerful of villages on their own. That was the danger of the Warring Clans Era and the Era of the First Great Shinobi War.

The men who held the titles of Kage now were mere imitations of far more powerful, and less sympathetic peoples. He was sure that his former Sensei would be rolling over in their graves if they knew what he allowed to occur. Their jinchuriki, the one deterrent that kept the true balance of power was gone. Its host was dead, and the beast was due to reform at any moment.

While having one's secret weapon of mass destruction die was humiliation enough, the last Uchiha lost one eye and was near blind in the other, and his teammates lost an arm, on the same mission that took the life of the jinchuriki.

Few of the higher ranking Shinobi found the tale spun to them by the Uchiha and Haruno to lack credibility. Many found the idea of a collection of bandit rings so close to their village to be nothing more than a fabrication by the few real bandits that were ravaging the poorer parts of the countryside.

The truth was far stranger than any fiction one could dream of. The Uchiha knew far more than he was letting on, as did the girl. Some of the more invested members of the Shinobi ranks were unsettled by the notion.

Few facts came to light with the return of the remaining members of squad seven. A recovery team was sent to check the site for any signs that would point them in the right direction. There was little hope of it given how they came to know of Naruto's passing. Few knew about the site, and those stationed there knew of Naruto's burden and the threat that it could pose if allowed freedom.

Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe. 'How can I salvage this?' he thought to himself.

Danzo was already licking at Sasuke's heels. He expected the boy to be broken and desperate with the loss of his prescious eye. That was not the case. He was more of a violent animal now than a child, and the girl was not much better. Kakashi reported during their training and missions that the two of them did not have a functioning relationship with Naruto.

They all fought like cats and dogs. There was no teamwork shared between them, no comradery. Their expressions as they spoke of his passing said otherwise. There was a bond there, and even if Kakashi could not see it, any who have held an ally close should have seen through to it.

Their injuries raised many alarms. Sakura's missing arm was the most cause for concern. Many felt that she had no career within the ranks of active duty shinobi. He was of the same mind, and if not for the dogged determination and attitude he would have asked for her resignation.

"Crow, get me Kakashi."

IGSl

Team seven met on the bridge one week after Sasuke and Sakura's return to the village. It was far too soon for Kakashi. His sensei's son was dead, dead just like his mother and father. just like Kakashi's best friend, and just like the one woman that ever truly loved him. It was far too much to take. It was as if everyone he cherished was destined to die a horrid death.

He swallowed the heartache and the pangs of guilt that smothered him. Life was a struggle, death made it suffering. He was not late, he did not want to see the memorial stone where Naruto's name was carved. He did not want to see his failure.

Reaching his destination he looked on solemnly at his remaining students... and the child that was brought to replace his fallen one. The boy was paler than Sasuke and dressed in a shirt that revealed his stomach. He reeked of Danzo, hinting that the man may have trained him, or worse molded him.

The man gave was more of a thorn in everyone's side then people liked to admit. The only reason the old fossil still had any say in the going-ons of the village was due to the reverence that was allotted to the older generation. They were survivors.

They fought and bled through three conflicts, and saw the Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara in action, and were even trained by one of the men. They were legends to any who knew a story to tell, and for their service, many saw them as untouchable.

It was by-and-large the major reason Naruto suffered as he did. The Sandiame was getting old, they all knew it and so did he. It was a problem all its own, made more damning when coupled with the people's perception of him. His strength wavered little in the wake of his advancing age, and many still saw him as infallible.

The law he made in regards to Naruto proved that point easily. No one was willing to tell him that he was taking the wrong approach to the situation, and if they had he did not listen. Somewhere in his mind, he was corrupted by the power linked to his position. The fact that Danzo was still breathing and not lying dead in a ditch was the proof one needed. If the old man really wanted peace then why had he allowed a man who was willing to create his own secret underground organization to "protect the village"?

The man was a war-hawk, consumed by the insatiable need to spill blood. He draped himself in the cloak of patriotism, but it was twisted to fit his own needs. Then again how many understood the truth? How many knew what the will of fire stood for?

He made it to the bridge inundated with those thoughts, his calmness never betraying his inner turmoil. "Yo,".

Neither Sasuke nor Sakura spoke, seemingly uninterested in his appearance. Kakashi wished he did not greet them so normally. Sasuke had the look of a tiger waiting for the right moment to snap, and Sakura's missing arm was hard to miss.

The new member showed none of the same reservations. "Hello, Hatake-sensei," he greeted back warmly.

"Good morning Sai. I see you met Sasuke and Sakura."

"I wouldn't say met," Sai replied, "Fag and Flat Chest haven't said a word to me since I arrived."

The casual way the insults flowed made it clear that he did not mean any of what he said, likey considering it nothing more than light banter. The hostility that was emanating from Sasuke and Sakura showed that they did not care. There was something more between the duo now that Naruto was gone, and it was more than slightly disquieting.

"Now, now there's no need for name calling." Kakashi's eye crinkled up in the resemblance of a smile.

"Good morning sensei," Sakura said. There was no energy in her voice, and Kakashi could tell that she did not want to be there.

Sasuke did not speak. That was not unusual for him, the intensity that he glared at Sai with, belied more than the boy himself was letting on. He was far more aggressive than usual, a fact that would pass many by without them catching onto it. He was used to working with the boy, giving the skills to look beneath the exterior that he presented to the outside world.

Sasuke reminded him if himself when he was at the boy's age. The suicide of his father shaped him into a cold calculating child, one that sought to reject the human notion of companionship. At the time it seemed natural for him to do so. It was easy for him.

He did not know at the time what he was really doing to himself, he could not see that he was only making it worse. He tried to close himself off from the rest of the world in an attempt to hide from the pain that followed him. The disgrace of his father's failure and the subsequent suicide only served to send the situation into a downward spiral.

For ages, he fought against anyone getting close to him again. His father had been one of the greatest Shinobi Konoha had ever seen before his death, and he still lost it all because he was human. He had ties to others and was willing to put the needs and safety of his comrades and companions above his need to fulfill his mission.

Protecting those who could not protect themselves was a hallmark of his father in life, and it led him to the grave. The people that he saved were more than willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of completing the task assigned to them by the Hokage. Many saw the failure of the White Fang to complete his mission as a mistake that caused the Third Great Shinobi War.

The truth was that few knew the details of the fateful mission that led to the downfall of Hatake Sakumo. There was hardly a consensus as to whether or not it truly caused the war. Whether or not there was any link between the two events matter little to him at the time. He was a lonely boy that was forced to see his own father lying dead by his own hand.

He was left alone in the world, and he placed the blame squarely on his father's shoulders. If the man simply followed orders then he would have been there for his son. It broke Kakashi. It turned the child who once was full of life and love into a monster. He was far too young to understand the truth of the situation.

If he had known better at the time then he was sure he would have seen the villagers as the ones at fault. His father wagered it all on his allies, and when he needed them most they turned their backs on him. Kakashi had been a naive child, and he believed the words of those around him.

"Since you've all met I assume there's no need for introductions?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura shook her head, and Sasuke brooded silently. Sai was a chatterbox in comparison. Kakashi tuned him out. No one could truly replace Naruto. The boy had been a whirlwind of energy, untrained and unfocused, but able to do anything when he put his mind to it.

"Good, let's find ourselves some missions."

IGSl

The village was different for Konohamaru and his team. When Konohamaru first met Naruto there was an air about him, that made him likable, an aura that drew people toward him with little effort. He was larger than life in all he did, even if he was inept in whatever ambition he tackled.

It was this that left no doubt in Konohamaru'smind that one day he would achieve his goal. Now he was gone. It was like a punch to the gut. He wanted to hate someone, to yell and scream and cry. He wanted Naruto back.

He trudged to his team's meeting spot, a small tea house near the Hyuuga compound. Hanabi was the acting leader of their team when they were inside the village, and as such, she had a soft spot for the little shop. Their teas were delicious, often lifting their spirits after a grueling day, or keeping them fresh before the start of one.

They got a small table in the back as usual and ordered. There was little wait for them as their beverages came quite quickly.

"I'm sorry about Naruto," Moegi offered as they sat and sipped. She hardly knew the boy, giving her scant information by which to judge him, the little she did learn of him in their few interactions showed that he deeply cared about them and those around him.

"It's fine," Konohamaru replied dejectedly.

"It's not fine," Udon said. "You've been moping around for three days, you have to stop."

Konohamaru glared at his friend. "How am I supposed to do stop. Naruto was like a brother to me."

"We know," Hanabi interjected. "But, he's gone and lashing out at everyone around you will now bring him back."

It was true, however, that did not mean that he would accept that. "How would you feel if your sister died?"

Hanabi glared at the boy. "Don't say something that you might regret."

It was not a threat, but a statement of fact. Hanabi was seen by many as the most skilled of the group, a title she wore proudly while dominating them in most aspects of shinobi life, though they all had their own strengths that the others fell behind.

Hanabi was a taijutsu expert, fighting with the fury of the gentle fist. There were few in the village that did not hear of the praise that Hiashi stoically laid at her feet.

Moegi's skill lay in the art of ninjutsu. Her reserves were far above and beyond those of her peers, and she often studied the theory behind ninjutsu with a rabid hunger. Her skills were largely unnoticed because women rarely had such a knack for the skillset, as they often did not have the chakra capacity or endurance to make effective use of it.

Konohamaru and Udon's skills complemented each other the most. Konohamaru took to traps and weaponry, and Udon soaked up any knowledge of genjutsu. When they combined the two the traps became far more deadly, as the illusions could be used to mask the sight of a trigger mechanism, erase the noise that accompanied the snapping of a stick or the flight of a kunai.

"We don't need to be fighting," Moegi ground out, annoyed with the bickering.

It was understandable that Konohamaru was lost without the boss. The boy was the only person outside of their peer group that saw Konohamaru as more than just the grandson of the Sandiame, he saw a child struggling to get out of the shadow of one of the most powerful men in the world.

Konohamaru sighed. "I know, but its hard,".The pain in his voice was overpowering. It hurt to hear him like that. it was a rare sight when he cried, and even rarer still for him to argue and fuss the way he was.

"I know its hard," Udont spoke up. "When my father died I cried for a week. He was the only one that was there for me, that didn't see me as just some kid. Hell, even my mom treats me like that. I didn't know what I was going to do."

"Everyone suffers at some point in their lives, no matter how well they look on the outside. The strong simply have the will to continue and the weak allow themselves to be crushed under the weight. That's life." Hanabi expounded.

He knew they were right. It was easy to see it, grasping it was a different story entirely. He knew he was wrong, the pain would not let him go on. He wanted others to know what he felt, he wanted people to see his pain, and they did, just not as he expected. There were no words of comfort for him, no one with a shoulder for him to lean on.

Shinobi lived and died, it was a facet of their lives. Missions went wrong, situations became complicated, and sometimes there was no chance to avoid the consequences. Naruto was the person that he looked up to the most, making the loss more unbearable than he knew to deal with.

Konohamaru sighed and ran a hand through his hair. " I know, but it's hard, you know. He was one of the people that saw me as more than the Sandiame's grandson. He saw me as my own person, something that I've wanted for so long. It hurts so much."

His eyes watered. thinking about the past was asking for more heartache, yet he could not avoid it.

"Kono-kun I understand the pain that comes with the loss of someone that you loved and looked up to, but would he want you to wallow like this? Would he be proud of you right now?" Moegi asked.

He shook his head in response. He knew Naruto would not appreciate his behavior. He knew it, understood it, and wanted so much to simply disregard it. Naruto was no longer with them, so what did it matter that he suffocated himself with the negative emotions that flooded his mind, who would tell him that he was wrong.

He would tell himself, it was the only way. While other could point out the error in his temperament he was the sole individual who could change his mentality. He merely was at a loss of where to start. There was so much anger and resentment buried within him.

He wanted to be angry at Naruto for leaving him, angry and Sasuke and Sakura for not saving him, angry at the world for letting die, he wasn't the only one who felt like that though. There were hundreds of people that met their demise every day, and even more who sought to asauge themselves of the loss.

Some sought peace in prayer, other blamed themselves and attempted to end their own or seek vengeance, and more still reacted as he did, withdrawing from the world and snapping at any who crossed their path, in a vain attempt to get them to realize that no one understood their pain.

Deep down he could see that it would do no good, for every pain that a single person feels in their lives there are thousands that have felt the same. It was hard to see it. There were more people in the world than any one person could ever know, so many people that suffered in silence, who would never be heard.

How can he be stuck in such a rut when others buckled themselves down and strived on? It was often said that no gain came without pain, that misery and woe built up those that it did not break down.

The feeling was crushing and he wished that he could run away from his problems. He also knew that it was not an option. His team needed him. How would he feel if any of them died due to his inability to see past his own misfortune? How would they feel if he perished? He could not leave to such a fate. He would not allow them to suffer as he was if he could help it.

No more words flowed across their table. They were all much too deep in thought.

IGSL

The mission for the day went smoothly, for which Kakashi was grateful. His team was more of a mess than ever. Sasuke and Sakura refused to incorporate Sai into their teamwork, and the pale indigent boy spoke with a clear lack of understanding in his own words.

It was clear that he never spent time around those in his own peer group. His manner of referring to the original members of the team caused more friction than Naruto and Sasuke's arguing ever did, which was a remarkable (if frustrating) accomplishment.

As the trio made to take their leave Kakashi called for Sakura and Sasuke to stay. Sai gave them a look that belied the tiniest measure of curiosity and kept walking on.

"Yes, Sensei?" Sakura asked. She was always the one who tried diplomacy. It was funny at times because she would often try to pin the blame on Naruto whenever a complication arose (which it inevitably did).

"How are the two of you holding up?" He had not had an opportunity to speak with them about what occurred.

Sasuke's eyes pinched, and Sakura smiled a sad (and fake) smile. 'Fine," Sasuke huffed out.

Kakashi could smell the deception. They were not alright in the least. Making the first kill was always a doozy, coupling that with seeing one of their own fall was sure to burden them some serious complications on them, just as the death of his father had done to him.

It was more dangerous for Sasuke not to seek help of some kind. The Uchiha Massacre left him a bitter child who only sought revenge, forsaking all that would try to give him guidance in his thirst for revenge. He saw it in his disregard for his teammates. It was like looking a mirror at his past self.

Death seemed to have ways of sewing madness and discord in the world. Anger and loss were far more interconnected than many comprehended, and together they created a cycle of mania. When someone is killed another will seek revenge, and should they succeed in their undertaking they often find their own ends at the hands of another party seeking their own retribution, or worse still they lost all meaning within their lives.

Revenge was a goal that consumed one's entire being. The singlemindedness led them to see others as weak, to see compromise as a tool of the meek, and violence as the only answer. they would destroy all in their path to achieve their ambition, staining their souls with the blood of the innocent, and creating more avengers who would undoubtedly wreak the same discord.

While Sakura was nowhere near as steeped in the air of wrath, the loss of her arm was another point of contention. Before her injury she was weak, making no effort to improve no matter how hard he attempted to hammer it into her. It was part of his reasoning for allowing them to continue on with the mission to the Land of Waves. She needed a wakeup call. She needed to see that the life of shinobi was not the romantic fantasy that was painted by the academy sensei.

He loath how watered down the Academy had become since he left it. It was a propaganda factory, seeking to indoctrinate children without letting them know the true danger. The shadow of the Shinigami stalked all shinobi, strong or weak. There was always a chance that any given day might be the last they wake to see.

It was hard for the younger generation to take in such facts. They were coddled, allowed to grow in an era of peace with lax standards. For every battle-hardened shinobi, the village produced there were others who met the end long before reaching such a state.

It was an ugly truth. A peaceful world did not mean peace for shinobi. There would always be someone who needed killing, some ambitious upstart who would seek to gain power, some war being fought in the shadows. There would never be any rest for the true ninja.

Naruto's death was a thunderous blow to him and them. It also served as a wake-up call for his remaining pupils. He feared it was far too late. Sakura was not going to be an effective member o the team with only one arm, and he was unsure of how Sasuke's missing eye was going to affect his combat effectiveness.

"The chunin exams are beginning in two month's time, and you two are going to compete with Sai," He hadn't meant to blurt it out like that. Mentally slapping himself he continued. "I wouldn't have recommended you if I were given a choice, but it was an order."

"You're gonna make me take the exam like this?" Sakura's voice was incredulous and with good reason. She heard many stories about the exams, and the death counts that often came along with it. Missing an arm would make the event decidedly more deadly.

"You'll survive." the brooding voice of Sasuke cut in before she could start her rant. "We're ninja. Life is unfair, and people die, but to get stronger you have to push forward, even if all seems lost."

That caused Kakashi to raise an eyebrow. "I've never heard you sound so motivational Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke scoffed at Kakashi's antics. "Someone has to be the voice of optimism."

Kakashi winced inwardly at the unspoken words that hung in the air. "Well, I suppose..."

"Sensei, could you teach me some medical jutsu?" Kakashi thanked the log at Sakura's interruption of his poor attempt to change the subject.

"I could, but you have to learn the basics."

In response, Sakura held her hand out and it became bathed in the green light of the mystic palm jutsu. The energy wavered a bit letting him know that Sakura was far from proficient with it, still, he was impressed that managed that much in so little time. Losing a limb should have made it more arduous to learn.

"I can't teach you more than that, however, I can write you a recommendation for the medic corps." Sakura narrowed her eyes for a split moment, seeing through his deception.

He did not want another death to lay at his feet. He could not bear the guilt if once again he lived while those around him perished. If Sakura took his option she would not take the exam, and there would be nothing that could be done, an ambitious plan, ruined by the loyalty that he tried to instill in them before.

"Sensei, I don't want to be a mednin in some hospital, I want to fight with you and Sasuke." An easy argument to believe for those who did not know better, and Kakashi was not one of those people.

Sakura's affection for Sasuke was not gone. She would do whatever it was he wanted, at any cost. It was clear when he looked in her eyes. Sasuke was calling the shots and Sakura was following, but what did she have to gain? If Sasuke was still as stuck on revenge as he was before then it was fruitless for her to accompany him on his path.

The danger for her in the exams was far greater than the danger for him would be as well. A cripple would be set upon by the hounds the moment the examiners allowed them to fight.

"Sensei," It was Sasuke speaking again. "You don't need to worry. We'll take care of ourselves, besides we have two months to prepare. I'm sure we'll be ready then."

Kakashi wanted so desperately to believe those words, he wanted with every fiber of his being to take Sasuke for his word, for the guilt to leave him. it stained him to his very soul, and if Sasuke failed it would destroy him. He was a man like any other, and one could only pull himself from the ground so many times before it became burdensome, to onerous, to brutal, before it broke them.

If these kids died then he would not be able to live with himself. "Fine, I'll teach you all I can. That includes Sai. Naruto's death was... hard, and you three are all I have left."

He hadn't meant to let that slip. He never wanted them to know how much they meant to him, how much he cared. He had hoped if he was aloof and odd they might not want to connect with him on a personal level, they would not want to form a bound that would carry them through their chunin years, that one day they would leave his life, and not their own.

He was unworthy of any kindness. It was because of his decision to leave Rin behind that Obito was crushed to death. It was his failure to protect Rin that allowed her to be kidnapped and turned into a weapon that he destroyed. It was his weakness that forced him to cower behind that barrier on the day of Naruto's birth.

To many, he was a "Friend-Killer", someone who would do whatever it took to complete the mission, an excellent soldier, a ruthless adversary. All of it was untrue. He was a man cold and dead to the world. He was broken and distant, waiting for the day the mission would finally claim his life as it did all others.

In his moment of looking at Sasuke and Sakura, and seeing them so vulnerable, the world changed. For a long time, he had seen the world in a dull gray that clashed with the personality he presented. There was no happiness in his life, and few noticed. He suffered on, hiding behind his masks, the one of cloth, the one of porcelain, and the one of paper.

Now there was hope, hope that he could be redeemed. If he could get his students to survive, to thrive he could shed the shame that so colored him. Their lives were in his hands, and it scared him, he knew them better than to give up on them though. Sakura's display in medical jutsu and Sasuke's general skill was more than enough to work with.

He was also fairly certain that Sai knew much more than he let on, but there would be time to dig. They had little time to waste in preparing for the upcoming challenge.

"We'll start tomorrow morning at 5 am. There will be no missions for the remainder of time between now and the exams. You will not report on Sundays, so take them as rest days, because I won't go easy on you."

Sasuke smirked and Sakura smiled. This was what they needed. They needed to get stronger, to find out the truth, and to cull the corruption. No one else would have to suffer as Naruto did, as they did.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The sight of the training ground they first became a team on was sobering for the original members of team seven. The memories of the blonde boy, so full of life and energy were hard to shake. There was much left unfinished by him, so many goals that he would never be able to complete.

Kakashi arrived at the 5 am just as he said he would. He was not the same slouched scarecrow that only taught them when the need arose or when he felt doing so would have some benefit to him, or to them. There was steel in his spine and a confidence in his gate that was not there before. The most obvious change was his change of attire. Gone was his old standard jonin uniform, replaced by the blacks and grays of ANBU.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai were standing next to the very same logs that he tied Naruto too, and it felt as though it were a lifetime ago. He did not dwell on the thought, there was much work to be done, and little time to do it. His goal was their survival, which he would ensure even if it meant breaking them down. They could be built back up with the proper technique. True training is like forging a blade; at one point the weapon is no more than a brittle lump of metal that must be heated, beaten, molded, and quenched.

"Before we begin I'd like to explain our course of action," Kakashi said to the three. "We are beginning your training for the upcoming chunin exam. They're being held in two months time, and due to the injuries suffered by Sasuke and Sakura, and Sai's lack of experience working with the team I was able to get a reprieve from missions until the exams begin, therefore we will be splitting the day into four sections."

He reached into one of his pouches withdrawing a scroll and tossing it to Sasuke. "The first section is physical training, the second session will be ninjutsu training, the third section will be your team training which I will only lightly supervise, and the last section will be personal training. All sections are four hours long with an hour break between each. The scroll that I gave Sasuke contains the materials you will need for sections three and four, but do not open them until section three begins. Any questions?"

No one spoke. "Good, let's begin"

Kakashi set each of them onto their own individual routines. Sakura got the lightest set of exercises, though it was far from easy. Due to her lacking both arms she could not do push ups, so Kakashi had her start her session with curling. Her curling weight would only start at around ten pounds and every two days of training the weight would increase by ten.

Second, came speed training which Sakura made much easier thanks to her knowledge of medical jutsu. Usually when speed training was undertaken legs weights and weighted vests were involved to build strength in the lower body, thus maximizing the amount of force that could be exerted on the ground allowing for an increase in speed.

The danger with weight training came from how the weights interacted with the muscles. Adding weights to a person's frame forces the body to work harder to do the same amount of work, and over time it gets used to it. Inbetween the time that it takes for this to happen the muscles tear slightly, and when the tears healed the muscle would be stronger, but it all took time to happen naturally, and that was time they did not have.

This was where the mystic palm technique shone through. By applying the technique the to each of them following the end of their training days it would heal the tears overnight. Not many people used the jutsu for such work though, because mednin were in high demand at the hospitals, and the few who were available were often only just beginning.

Sakura's jutsu lacked the perfection that normally came with the craft, only having substance due to her sheer will to have it do so. She was much more like her team in that regard. They were all far from invincible, but they did not quit.

Sasuke and Sai would be lifting weights alongside the weighted vests and leg warmers. Their slender forms could be more easily molded for speed and precise striking, however, it would not always work to their favor to take the enemy on using such tactics. Overspecialization was a shinobi's worst nightmare. If anyone caught on and developed a counter then it was likely the end.

The ninjutsu portion of their days boiled down to two objectives; practice control and gain capacity. Chakra was like muscle, the more you had the more strength you could exert, lack control and you are likely to injure yourself.

Kakashi broached the subject by giving them chakra paper and testing their affinities. Sasuke's affinity to fire was a given, considering he was already capable of using C-rank fire ninjutsu, his lighting nature was not. Sakura's strength lay in earth jutsu, and Sai's in water.

It was a great boon that they all had affinities that Kakashi could use himself. It allowed the training to go more smoothly as he could show them how to begin their exercises without having to wait on someone else to show them how to perform the task, Kakashi could do it himself.

The first step in any form of Nature Manipulation was the same across the board; transferring the natured chakra into a leaf. Doing this required the user to modulate the chakra outside of their coils to the chakra on the inside. The simplicity of saying it and the difficulty of doing it could not have been further apart.

Forcing chakra into its natural elemental state required more than hand seals, it needed an intuitive knowledge of the element and the feeling of it within the chakra coils. Seals merely made visualization obsolete as the seals constricted the flow of chakra, making it take the shape and form desired.

In opposition to conventional wisdom, Konoha did not make mastering elemental manipulation a requirement for becoming a jonin. To master any nature type required the dedication and discipline of the Nidiame, the man who's proficiency with water manipulation knew no bounds. Anyone who mastered even one of the elements could become a Shinobi in the same vein as one of its Gods.

There were few who attempted to follow his path. To become as powerful as he had took years of practice, hard work, and patience. Many did not see a need to fight through so much for so little (in their minds) reward. There were new and old jutsu discovered and brought forth onto the fields of battle at a blistering pace compared to the Warring Clans Era.

Many would argue that it was a form of overspecialization, while Kakashi would call them weak. They were too weak-willed to swallow their pride and put their noses to the grindstone. The power of being able to use any technique in your arsenal without hand seals gave the enemy little pause to be proactive or even reactive. It turned a single soldier into a deadly machine that was able to take out men without giving themselves away until it was far too late.

It was an advantage if he ever saw one, and it was why he promised himself that he would work on mastering his lighting manipulation. His life had meaning for the first time in years, and he would do whatever it took to ensure it never left him again, If that meant attempting what was called the impossible, then he would do so.

the third training block was their own personal training. Kakashi managed to get ahold of Yakushi Kabuto, a genin who worked in the med corps during his free time. His sempai considered him to be a gifted young man that would likely one day surpass them all. The pace at which he took in the knowledge around him was awe-inspiring. Kakashi was sure that he and Sakura would get along well. She was also amazingly intelligent when the time came for it.

For Sasuke and Sai Kakashi would be training them one and off, and mixing in others who were more competent in the crafts he wanted them to pursue. He was going to teach Sasuke the basics of kenjutsu, while Sai would begin on the path of genjutsu. For help with their training, he was going to call in favors from Yugao and Kurenai.

Was going to be a focus on winding down from a day of activity. For many genin, this would be a formidable task to accomplish, for these children it would have to be tolerated. Far too many went out into the world unprepared for the days that lie in the future.

IGSL

Sakura was bone tired after her first session. The weights made the lowliest task more akin to running a marathon. It was backbreaking. He inner self screamed for her to stop, to forget about Naruto, to let it all go. The sole motivation that kept her going in spite of the pain was Sasuke. He bore it all without a word.

She dragged her feet to the hospital. Yakushi reserved them a lab to practice in. She found the room quite easily and smiled as she saw the gray hair teen working on a fish. He was using the mystic palm to keep it alive outside of the water, a method of training that was often explored by those just getting a grasp on the technique. The way that he hadled the animal gave her little doubt that he was far more skilled in his application of it than she was.

"Hello, Yakushi-san," she greeted.

He did not look up from his task, too absorbed in it. "Hello, Haruno-san. Please give me a moment."

She nodded and waited for him to finish. She glanced around the room, noting the sterility of it all. Hospitals always seemed to be so clean, as if to mask the dead and dying that lined its halls.

It was a scant few minutes before he finished. When he was done he quickly set her up with her own fish, and they began the session in earnest.

The hardest part of the exercise in Sakura's opinion was keeping the flow and consistency of the chakra. If the flow was too heavy the chakra would enter unintended parts of the body and cause damage If the consistency was wrong then chakra poisoning was a likely result.

The fickleness of medical chakra was one of the reasons few pursued the line of work. It was far too easy to accidentally kill someone, and no one wanted that on their minds especially if it were a friend or loved one. Sakura did not have those reservations. She needed to learn, she needed to be useful.

The Land of Waves should have been her wakeup call, the crucible that would turn her into a true shinobi, and she ignored it. She had been far too willing to let herself become the damsel in distress, forcing Naruto and Sasuke to watch out for her. Any of them could have been killed.

"Sakura-san, where did you learn the mystic palm?" Kabuto asked as she worked.

The bastard liked to talk as they worked, calling it an addition to the training. She knew there were distractions abound in the field, but she wished he would let her get the feel for what she was doing before he tried to mess with her concentration.

She did not voice her opinion as it was not going to do her any good just as he had done no good minutes earlier. She huffed blowing hair out of her face. "I found a scroll."

"You found a scroll?" he repeated as though she were speaking a foreign language.

"Yea."

He clearly did not believe her, and she could not say that she blamed him. Scrolls that contained knowledge like that were rare.

Kabuto tsk'ed "Sakura there's no need to lie to me like that. The only scrolls in the village that have the jutsu written on them are in the Head Doctor's office and the chunin section of the library."

Sakura shook her head. "I took it off some bandit's body."

He shut up, and the lesson continued in silence. Sakura found that it was easy for her to keep the chakra consistent. It came to her naturally. She did not have the same luck with the flow. though luckily that mistake was not usually deadly.

Kabuto unnerved her. She could tell he was not what he seemed, thanks to her gift, but she had no chance in revealing him for what he was. She doubted many would take kindly to her accusing a comrade of treason when all the evidence she had was a feeling.

The malice was tangible to her and she wanted no part of it.

IGSL

"Kurenai," Asuma Sarutobi said under the shade of a Sakura tree. The plants were blooming, and the sight and sent off the drifting blossoms was enticing.

"Yes, Asuma?" It was Kurenai's favorite time of the year. She adored the beauty spring brought with it to the world. It was a shame that soon the heat would return.

"Why don't you want to go public with our relationship?"

This was the same question he had asked so many times before. It was becoming redundant to a ridiculous degree. "Asuma, I keep telling you that I'm not ready. Can't you take that for an answer?".

Asuma lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "I want to, it's just that there has to be more. I mean we've been together for a few months now, what do you have to be nervous about?"

"Can I just not be ready? Is that so hard for you to understand?"

'Kurenai, I just want to know why? Did I do something wrong?"

She huffed and left. He called after her but she ignored it. She was tired of dealing with his whining. He was more the woman of their relationship than she ever was. It was so frustrating.

The reason that she did not want anyone to know they were dating was his tendency to whim like this, and his laziness. He was a nice guy and all when they were alone together, but his constant need lazing about grated in her nerves.

She walked without thought, and soon she was once again at Anko's door. She cursed under her breath. She could not leave now that she was there, Anko knew when she came by and would search for her to find the reason for the visit even if she did not want to share it.

She knocked and the door opened as soon as her knuckles rapped the wood. Anko was nude as per usual. Kurenai was used to the antics. She entered quickly and closed the door behind her.

Anko's apartment was spartan. Most people expected some sort of macabre decoration consisting of blades and entrails. Anko did not like clutter, and she found no use for decoration of any kind, at least not in the front. In her own room, there were pictures of her and Kurenai everywhere.

The two of them were friends from the moment they met. They had more in common than many knew, and the taint of the traitor did not scare her from her friend. Anko needed people that would treat her like a person again, and there were few willing to do so. The stigma was far too frightening for them.

The stupidity of village always left her speechless. They called their shinobi heroes and in the same breath lay abuse after abuse on those who were only trying to show they were loyal, that they could be trusted. It was an issue that she had long since tried to have resolved.

The Sandiame knew the truth of Anko's loyalty, yet with all the power and wisdom he had, he could not find it in his heart to give Anko the promotion that she deserved. It was sickening to watch her friends slave away, working harder than any of her peers, and still receiving glares and insults instead of congratulations for her hard work.

Kurenai took a seat on the small white couch. Anko followed a few moments later still in the same state of undress.

"Are you gonna put any clothes on?"

Ank guffawed. "Hell no, I don't wear clothes around the house."

Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Not everyone wants to see you in your birthday suit."

"Oh come on Kure-chan you know you love this," Anko squeezed her breasts together, trying to get a rise out of her friend.

It was tempting for Kurenai to reach out and grab that perky bosom. She resisted as she always did, and at the same moment, she thought of what would happen if she did. She thought of being intimate with her snake-obsessed friend, but always found a way to avoid it.

She was more than sure that Anko was catching on to her desires, and that was the cause of the teasing. It was more than a little frustrating, seeing the object of her infatuation in front of her waiting to be taken.

"Kure-chan do you wanna fuck me?" Kurenai nearly sputtered.

"Huh?"

"I asked," Anko leaned in so close to Kurenai that their faces were nearly touching. "Do you want to fuck me?"

The huskiness of her voice stole the moisture from Kurenai's tongue. It was suddenly hot, and Kurenai could not move. "I-I-"

Anko did not bother letting her finish her excuse, taking the distraction of the moment as an opportunity she closed the distance and captured Kurenai's lips in her own.

IGSL

The darkness faded, and for the first time he could see the world, he could be apart of it again. It was hard to think that just a while ago he was dead. His old body was now just ashes on the wind. He knew it should have been the end for him when the poison overtook him.

His angel saved him. The one person that he treated as a plaything, created on a whim. He was grateful that she saved him from damnation. He was getting a second chance that other would never see. How many lives had gone just as his own had? How many died before they could even take the first steps into the real world?

The stories he grew up on lacked the context of reality. Konoha romanticized it all when they were sewing discord and brutality, attmpting to get a leg up on their competition. It was sickening to realize that the man and position he looked up to were both veiled symbols of the blight that scourged the lands.

The loss of life due to the actions, and inactions of a man who knew what he was doing. The Will of Fire was a false hope sold to the masses in exchange for their blind obedience. It was the nature of shinobi he supposed. They were creatures that revealed in death, whether they admitted such or not, and those who lived the longest were sure to have the most sin.

They thrived in the bloodshed, and they craved it. He knew from the memories of Rat, and the sight of that man. How could the old man let someone so much power when it was clear that he sought to use it for the betterment of himself and no others? He would rule the village with an iron fist if given half the chance.

It was if no one really cared about the common man, and he was beginning to see it as an unspoken truth. The world they lived in was a cruel place that prayed on the weak if it were physical, social, or financial mattered little. He saw it first hand in Wave. Gato's reign could have been prevented if there were people who actually wanted to protect those who could not protect themselves.

Weakness was a trait to be crushed. It broke him to dwell on it, to be faced with a reality that he would have denied only a month or two eariler. Now it was impossible for him not to see what was going on. The villages profited from the misfortunes of others and destroyed those who did not bow and curtail to their whims.

The aged Kage stood atop the pile of bodies like petulant children, hoarding power, wealth, and knowledge for themselves. Villages without the protection of a shinobi force were easy pickings for the 'Great Nations', and the smaller hidden villages fared little better.

The actions of Rat and the group he fought for in Ame showed the true intent of the greater villages.

The said they fought for peace, but who's peace, was it? Was it a peace ruled by a singled hidden village like Konoha, a peace for the children so they would not have to fight in any wars again, peace for the weary civililians who were trying to get by?

He knew the answer to that question. Peace was decided by those who achieved it. For one peace is a cease to all war, for another, it is the destruction of his enemies, and for more, they were already at peace, but others wanted to interfere for their own reason.

In the village, he was taught that peace was black and white. Konoha was the good team, and anyone who opposed them was evil. No one asked whether the grievances other parties held against them were legitimate. Konoha was great and that was all there was to it, but they weren't great.

The Fourth Hokage was a fool. He saw what the village did through the memories of Kurama, and he understood. There was no true good and evil in their domain. They were all liars, killers, and thieves, given protection by their government and sent at the perceived enemies of the state like rabid dogs, or worse yet allowed to attack civilians.

The left, and he was enveloped in light, then he felt the air around him and the wood beneath his feet. He was once again among the living. He stood slowly, his strength had yet to return to him. He would need a month at the least to recover, to become whole again.

He wanted to rush back and tell them that their sacrifices were not in vain, that he was alive, that he was not going anywhere. It was not the right time yet.

"I see you're awake," It was Umi. She was the only one with the ability to bring him back from that realm.

He did not even bother looking at her. "You knew I was awake."

She laughed, "I supposed I did. You look a lot better now by the way."

He would have bantered back if he was not concerned with the state of his body. He was happy that the only real change was his hair color which was now a vivid red, and the lack of whisker marks on his cheeks. All else was as it should be.

Umi laughed. "The look on your face was priceless."

'Yea, yea laugh it up." Naruto grumbled.

Umi's eyes turned sharp and dangerous. "Be careful Naru-kun," she said, "I could get rid of you as easily as I brought you back."

He bit back his retort, not wanting to take any chances. He might not have been confined to the pure world or the damnation of hell, yet he had no desire to spend any more time dead. It was strange, to say the least. The darkness that surrounded him, leaving him with only the constant stream of Umi's thought as a form of news and entertainment.

He knew what she knew. If he never created her then he would have truly been dead. it was tragic that he treated her like a puppet, playing with her however he saw fit. She resented him for it. She loathed the idea of him being anywhere near her. Her rationale for allowing him to return was her own survival.

As long as they were both alive then one could return the other. The only downside was the time it took for the new body to solidify. For the first few weeks and blow to Naruto would dispell him, sending his soul back into hibernation within her own. it worked both ways.

If she were ever to die then he could bring her back, though now she was far more valuable to him than he was comfortable with. When Sasuke and Sakura made their sacrifices they did not know of Umi's ability, and she made use of it. The eyes that were inside his head (and her own) looked to be the same as before, unseen to any who did not know was that they were Sharingan.

Most thought it was impossible to come back from the dead or naturally incorporate a kekkei genkai into a person. Naruto proved both lessons of conventional wisdom wrong with his creation.

When Umi absorbs the chakra of someone through any means she can analyze it. The chakra, the mixture of physical and mental energies carries within it the memories of a person (derived from the mental energies), and the DNA of that person (taken from the physical energies). this could be combined with the Shifting Skin to create the bloodline within the body.

This allowed her to recreate the Sharingan within her own body, and it allows them to reform the organ should it become damaged or stolen. Moreover, it would allow him to give Sasuke back the one that he gave up when they met again.

There was a pang of guilt as he thought of Sasuke and Sakura. If he had been stronger he would still be there with them, not replaced by that pale freak. The ease with which he was replaced shook him.

Had he not seen it from Umi's eyes he would have thought it a dream. He still wished it was. He still wished the old man cared more about him to look into what happened. Someone deserved to be punished for what occurred to him, to them.

It was futile for him to seek retribution, at least at the moment. He was weak, and even with a form of immortality he would likely die again should he confront at his current skill level. He needed to find a place to train and grow.

Sasuke and Sakura were being taught by Kakashi and Umi was keeping an eye on them. The situation left much to uncertainty. The Sandiame was suspicious of the two members of team seven that were in the village, and the foundation was beginning to move.

They had eyes below, in the inner workings of the village keeping tabs on the movements of that faction. It was laughable how little effort it took to infiltrate the group, then again they were so low on the radar due to cover-ups the Hokage provided when circumstances became untenable.

It made his blood boil. The men and woman that stalked the night for their master, doing his bidding no matter the horridness of it all. They were all animals, unthinking cold, and willing to do whatever that madman said. How the old man ever saw him as a friend would elude Naruto for rest of his life.

Shimura Danzo was a beast, a monster given human form. He cared not for the lives of those around, only that they laid them down when he commanded. He sought the seat of Hokage so that he could transform the village into a dictatorship with him at the helm.

If that man's ambition came to fruition there would only be war. He was not the kind of man to stop when he got what he wanted, he was the one who demanded more, and more. He needed it all. He needed all the power, all the prestige, all the control.

That was what it boiled down to. Danzo sought to control all that stood before him. Inside the village, he was untouchable due to his connections, and the hidden soldiers he had planted in every nook and cranny. If he were to be taken care of then Konoha would have to be pacified, and right now there was no way that it was going to happen.

They had time though, and they would use it. He would earn his retribution, but more importantly, he would restore order to the world. The shinobi were abusers of their power, taking what they pleased and leaving naught but crumbs.

Naruto sat up wincing in pain as he did. "We need to get to work."

Umi pushed him back down. "Not yet. When your body's ready we will begin."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The days were becoming hotter as summer prepared to settle over Konoha. The chunin exams were in less than a month away, and the entirety of the rookie class would be competing for a spot at promotion. Kurenai knew that her team was likely not ready, she simply wanted them to attend as a learning experience.

Of course, the upcoming exams were not the sole occupier of her thoughts. Her dalliance with Anko weighed on her as well. They had sex, and nothing more, the air of passion that Anko exuded made one inclined to believe there was more to it than just sex, and in all honesty Kurenai was not opposed to establishing a more concrete relationship with her.

There was also the strain her sudden departure caused between her and Asuma. He loved her of that she was certain, his need to have their affair validated by the rest of the village grated on her, and wore out the goodwill he accrued. She was a private person, and the dangers of being a jonin and sensei did not afford her the comfort that she wanted before she expressed the true depth of their coupling.

She wanted children and marriage. She could not balance that and watch over her students at the same time, especially with the exam on the horizon. He wanted people to know about them, and a tiny portion of her feared that he wanted to do so to have leg up on the other guys. She knew she was beautiful, the way men tripped over themselves to try and pick her up with cheesy lines and offers of cash left no room for doubt.

Just because she had a pretty face did not mean she cared less about how people treated her and those around her. It was easy to see those men sought her body. They did not care for her intellect or the myriad of other qualities she possessed.

She feared that deep down Asuma was the same as the others. It came from the little things; the way he tried to force her to be more open when she only wanted to keep to herself, how his eyes drifted when Yugao and Anko were around, small details that she tried not to notice.

She was happy enough with him, and there was little that she craved. The sex was a little basic in her opinion, though time would change that if she allowed herself to take that time. She was not sure if she would.

Anko was far more passionate than Asuma had been, and she knew how to find all the right spots. She longed to take the woman as her own and leave all others to themselves. Her hang up was her own selfishness. She wanted children, and she knew that if she and Anko got together she would still want them.

People were petty and fickle and Kurenai was unsure of how Anko would react to the revelation. Would she be angry, supportive, or something else entirely? People tended to fear the unknown, even those of power. The familiar was easily dealt with, years or lifetimes of doing so made it second nature.

The unknown was akin to the pitch black of night, there was a fear within most that kept them from reaching out into it. The same dread applied to social situations. She wanted to dive into it, to explore what being with Anko could lead to, yet she also did not want to leave Asuma. He was familiar and comforting.

Then again so was Anko. They each made her feel wanted, though in different ways. Anko was passion, raw and unfiltered. Her looks sent chills down Kurenai's spine, and her hands were divine. She knew Kurenai's every weakness from the moment their bodies touched in the embrace of lovers.

Asuma lacked that passion, in its stead he exuded calm strength. It was soothing and warm, draping over her like a blanket. He spoke what was on his mind, and he was the easy-going foil to her worried mother hen. He kept her in perspective.

There was far too much to think on in connection with them both. She got out of bed and took a quick shower, trying to rid herself of the images that planted themselves in her head. She could still fell Anko all over her. It was a relief the woman deigned not to leave any marks on her. She was after all the only person who knew about her "secret" lover, and leaving any evidence of her crime would not be taken lightly.

After her shower, she went to meet her team. It was their first meeting in two days. She gave them a break after their last C-rank. She would have tried to avoid giving them that little respite if it were not for the fact that they each made their first kills. The sight of them covered in blood and Hinata's tear-streaked face brought a pang of guilt to her chest. It was her fault they were forced to cut their teeth on those bandits.

If she paid closer attention instead of allowing distraction to take her attention away from the kids then she might have prevented the ambush, the past, however, was the past, and no amount of hopeful wishing would change it. She knew so first hand, and so did those around her.

The death of Kakashi father broke the boy, the neglect of the Hokage crippled his relationship with Asuma -his only son- causing him to run away, Anko's sensei whom she loved and revered left her for dead after giving her the cursed mark, and Kurenai's parents never wanted her. They left her on a street corner.

She arrived at their meeting point at exactly eight am on the dot. The spot that she choose to begin their foray into the Shinobi world was a small field of Sakura trees, just outside of training ground 44. IT was a spot Anko showed her years ago.

Her team was there, looking much better than she feared. Hinata was no longer a pale shaking mess, a Kiba was back to his old boisterous self, and Shino was off looking at bugs.

"Good morning sensei," Hinata greeted.

Shino and Kiba spoke up as well. It was a relief they were able to function as normal, or close to it. Since they were her first team and she was a newly minted jonin she was slightly unsure of how to deal with the problem. Her sensei was never any good at talking, leaving her to fend for herself. It was Asuma that got her through those dark times.

Her students were the children of clan heads, so it was more than likely their parents talked to them about killing. There was more than one time that Kurenai cursed the academy. When she had been younger- a stundent in those halls- they taught them how to fight, kill, and survive.

She sat in on a few lessons unbeknownst to the academy instructors, and she was not pleased with any of it. There were more propaganda and written tests than she was comfortable with. All who wore a forehead protector knew that the life of a shinobi could only be understood by living it. As it was the academy was a waste of time.

Any civilian that graduated from it and was lucky enough to pass their real test faced a three times higher mortality rate than their clan born brethren. Everyone knew what it was chalked up to; the parents taught the children real skills that would be useful later on in life, while the others were given the basic three and expected to survive.

Most of the jonin in the village were using elemental jutsu at the ages of twelve and thirteen, and now it was a rarity. The increasing influence of the civilian population was oft pointed out as the cause of the discrepancy, and no one bought it. The civilians always sent children to the academy, and never once before was there a problem with the curriculum.

Many suspected the degradation in educational practices came from the fallout of Itachi's rampage. Kurenai found that to be a less than satisfactory explination. On the few occasions, she met the boy he was quiet, calm, and collected. It was a stretch to think he murdered his own family, especially given the fact that he supposedly did it by himself. There was more to that than met the eye.

None of that mattered in the end. It was over and done with, now she needed to focus on her pupils. She started them off with basic stretches, light sparing, and a few tracking exercises. At noon she let them go for lunch.

Shino and Kiba disappeared off toward their clan compounds. Hinata did not.

"Something wrong?" Kurenai asked.

Hinata poked her fingers together in her little nervous habit. "Kurenai-sensei, I was wondering if you would teach me genjutsu."

That was eye-opening. Hinata was never able to control her stuttering before, and she never showed any interest in genjutsu either. "You want to learn genjutsu? Won't your clan be upset?"

Kurenai did not feel like beating around the bush. She could very well teach Hinata is she chose to do so, her past with the girl and her father made her less inclined to do so.

"Yes, but I don't care," there was a resolve in her voice that Kurenai was not expecting.

Hinata had always been a bit of a pushover mainly due to the influence of her father. The man belittled her at every turn, and he ventured to break her rather than treat like a daughter.

"Hinata you remember the last time I took you on as a one on one student."

Hinata remembered that very well. It was an utter failure, due in no part to her or Kurenai. Her father took every opportunity to hassle and hound the two of them. He saw Kurenai as weak just as he did Hinata, and he made no attempt to hide his contempt.

The respected aristocrat was a ruffian at heart who lauded his power over the weak, and it was an amazement that he never applied the caged bird seal to the girl.

Hinata got on her knees and bowed her head to the ground. "Please, sensei! I need to be strong. I need to protect the people I care about."

Her father would have called her pathetic for prostrating herself before someone of such lowly status. "Get up. I'll train you, but be prepared I won't go easy."

 **IGSL**

An explosion rocked the ground that Hanabi was on only a second earlier showering the area in debris. She screamed in rage and threw a handful of kunai into the smoke, and they came back faster. She cursed and ducked down to avoid the volley.

With a scowl, she activated her Byakugan. She never intended to reveal her true nature while on mission. It was far easier to just fly beneath the radar, now she could not.

"Get up you three!" she yelled to her companions.

They were still in their tents when the attack began, unaware of the trouble coming to a head around them. The mission was supposed to be simple, deliver a letter to a small village on the border of near Tani. It seemed that simple never stayed that way.

With a shout, the tents opened up and Konohamaru came charging out. He flew through a set of seals and expelled a gust of wind blowing the smoke away. The technique was a little tiring because he only just learned it from his Uncle, and did not have it down pat, it did the job though.

When the cloud cleared the enemy was nowhere to be found. He looked all around and failed to hear Hanabi's warning cry as a hand appeared from the earth and grabbed his ankle pulling him into the softened dirt. He substituted, swapping places with a log laden with explosive tags.

There were more, and he was fairly certain that the one that nearly caught him was still alive as well. He put a hand on the branch he landed on to take a quick moment of rest and pop a soldier pill. He was already because of the wind jutsu. He fought the urge to curse in case he gave himself away.

Moegi emerged from the undergrowth with Udon in tow. "What's the plan?"

There was another explosion and a scream of pain that sounded like Hanabi. "Just do what you can," he replied.

Moegi and Udon nodded, then they were gone. Konohamaru reached into his weapons pouch and withdrew a length of ninja wire and more explosive tags. He would be useless in any battle that required extensive use of ninjutsu, and surprisingly he had the lowest chakra capacity of their entire team, his skills with traps, on the other had improved with leaps and bounds every day. It would take time to set up, but if his plan worked it would be a game changer.

While Konohamaru set up his network of death Hanabi took on one of the enemy shinobi. He was from a village she had never heard of before if the headband bearing a musical note was anything to go by. It seemed that he was the leader, though she was not sure of it because they all wore balaclava that obscured their entire faces save their eyes.

He charged at her with kunai in hand. She easily dodged the blow and struck back with a light tap to his abdomen. He let out a choked gurgle and attacked again, and she retaliated in kind. Plainly this man never had the (mis)fortune to face a user of the gentle fist. She finished him easily with a strike to the chest, destroying his heart, just as she had been trained to do from birth, and she almost gagged.

Being trained to kill and doing it were two different situations. Her father would speak about taking lives from time to time, finding it to be essential to their lives. It was the duty of a shinobi to kill, it was what they honed their skills for, why they existed. They protected their and brought punishment and wrath to those who stood in the path.

Hanabi never put much stock into those words. Hiashi was a stickler for tradition, willing to do all in his power to preserve it. He cared little for those he would affect negatively. They were weak and therefore deserved it. It was hypocritical to her, as no one was born strong, yet many believed in the fortunes of birth.

What if her father was never born into the Hyuga clan, would his outlook be the same or would it change with his status? To look down on others because they were not lucky enough to be born into a powerful family, she hated it. She wanted to change that view.

She looked away from the body. There was no time to dwell. She would bring death now, and mourn her sins later. He body moved on autopilot toward the first foe within her field of vision. She tried to hide in the trees, and find an angle behind him, but she spotted the collapse of his allies and broke off to find her team, or at least tried to.

Moegi did not have the benefit of a Byakugan, so she did not know what was coming. Hanabi growled and ran forward just as the girl popped out of the ground leaping to sit the man's throat. Before she could reach she was snatched out of the air by another who appeared in the motion of a Body Flicker.

Moegi struggled against the hand clutched around her windpipe. "Easy now girlie. I ain't gonna kill you, not yet," the man growled.

Off in the distance, there a creaking noise echoed followed by a thunderous crash, then silence. The musical note bearing shinobi were distracted for a split second and Hanabi rushed forward. She was only a step away from ending the life of Moegi's attacker when a blow struck the back of her head and she fell to the dirt.

"Don't think we'll be going easy on you. Ya should've just laid down and died, cause now we get to have fun." The men had looks of pure perversion in their eyes, and she knew what they had in store for her and her friends.

 **IGSL**

"Orochimaru-sama, I have much to report," Kabuto said as he approached the man he called master. He cared little for the sack of flesh before him, he only cared for what the man could provide, and Orochimaru was generous in his deliveries of subjects of interest and experimentation.

"Well now, it's not often that you find your way here for a report. it must be important." Kabuto ignored the way the snake man's tongue flicked as he spoke. At one time it terrified him, now it made him mildly uncomfortable.

"Uchiha Sasuke has returned to the village and he will be competing in the chunin exam, however, there is a slight complication."

"Go on,"

Nodding Kabuto continued "He only has one eye, the other was lost on a mission, and the jinchuriki is dead."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you say?"

Kabuto began to sweat and fell on one knee as his master's killing intent exploded, washing over all around him. Sakon passed out from it, while the smell of piss suggested the other members were more resilient and had weak bladders.

"The Uchiha is missing an eye," he repeated.

The killing intent faded and Orochimaru sat up on his throne-like chair. "Then he is of no use to me as a host, breeding is a different matter though. Get to work on finding a way to produce more Uchiha."

Kabuto bowed and left. He hated the way that man disregarded him and all he did

 **IGSL**

Hanabi thrashed and screamed to no avail. She was bound gagged and nude alongside Moegi. She knew what was in store for them, the danger that any kunoichi faced. The men stood above them, clothed but with their members out for all to see.

"Let's get started," one of the men said. He spit on his palm and used the spit to lube himself. When he was satisfied he positioned behind Moegi who's but was in the air.

Hanabi closed her eyes, not wanting to witness her friend's suffering. She could hear the men jeering, and then something wet splashed across her face. She screwed her eyes shut tighter. She did not know how long she stayed like that.

She felt the ropes that held her give way, and a cloths fell over her body.

"Hey, get up," she looked up to see who spoke. It was a boy that was around Hinata's age. His hair was red and his eyes were blue, and he was wearing a black jumpsuit.

Hanabi pulled the blanket that he gave her tightly around her exposed flesh. She glanced around and saw Moegi in the same state as she was. Naked with only a blanket to protect her modesty.

"You saved us," Moegi said, "Why?"

"Because I need you to do something for me,"

 **IGSL**

Sasuke looked at the envelope in the little Hyuga's hand. "Where did you get this?"

"A man with red hair gave it to me, he said that you should only open it when you're sure you're alone and make sure to cover it,"

"Fine," he took the envelope from her and she left. He wondered who this man with red hair was. He was sure that there were no such people in the village, as red was an extremely rare hair color, and anyone sporting it would stick out like a sore thumb.

He had never been out of the village and seen such a person either, so there was the chance that the letter was trapped in some way. Not that it mattered to him. If he died he'd be one step closer to his dream.

He went home and opened the envelope. There was a letter and a scroll inside.

Dear Duckbutt,

You know what's inside the scroll, and I don't need to tell you to burn this letter. Anyway, there's a lot going on that I can't dive into right now, so I'll be in the village in a few nights. Get Sakura to spend the night at your place so I don't have to find her, there's a lot we need to talk about.

Their gamble paid off. Naruto was alive somewhere but that did not mean he would stop the pursuit of his ambition. There were bound to be more like them, more who suffered and would suffer.

He opened the scroll and poured chakra into the seal on it, releasing his eye from it. The black orb looked like his own. there were many questions surrounding all that was happening, questions that would finally be answered.

 **IGSL**

The night they were so eager to greet came far more quickly than either of them had thought it would have; a reprieve from their anger and mourning. Sasuke's darkened apartment was not the ideal location for a dead man to reappear, he was far too detached to ever have company over. Sakura's request to spend the night did not go unnoticed by any.

Her parents merely thought she finally won over the affection of the boy that she desired, while Kakashi assumed it to be more coping. Their strained working relationship with Sai conferred credence to such an idea. The constant bickering between the pale teen and Sakura, and Sasuke's outright refusal to speak to the boy served as evidence.

As such no one disturbed them on the nights that Sakura was over, though they were not sure if the same would have been true if Sasuke's fangirls ever learned about it.

"Sasuke are you ready for this?" Sakura asked from her spot on the floor one night after a particularly exhausting day of training.

"Yes,"

Sakura rolled her eyes. Now that she spent so much time with him, and was considered a friend by him, he lost some of his appeal. He was still very handsome and talented, he simply lacked in certain areas. One of those areas was anger management. The way that he used to snap at Naruto when he was on the team, how he would treat her with contempt. It was hard to forget those kinds of things when someone took away the rose-tinted glasses.

She threw a pillow at him, muttering in frustration as she did so, 'Why don't you ever talk like a normal person?"

"Hm" Sakura's eye twitched, and she grabbed another pillow swatting at the Uchiha. He dodged every blow that came, and Sakura nearly fell on her butt as she overextended. Having one arm sucked.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Sakura dropped the pillow, and Sasuke went to answer it. A few moments passed with the sound of the door opening and closing, then Sasuke came back into the room, with two people in tow. One was the 'Goddess', and the other was a red-haired boy she assumed was Naruto.

Sakura looked at Sasuke as if asking him a silent question. He nodded slowly, and it was as if a dam broke. All the pain and tears that she had been suppressing came gushing out. Sobs racked, and her eyes went blurry as the salty fluid ran freely from them. She reached forward and clutched onto Naruto as though her life depended on it.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" She choked out over and over again.

Hinata had been right she had taken him for granted in the worst way possible. He treated her as if she were someone to be loved, not some girl with a big forehead, and weird hair. He respected her as a person, at times even when she knew she did not deserve it.

Naruto wrapped his arms her body, allowing her to rest her face on his chest. "I forgive you," he whispered in her ear.

Sasuke watched the scene unfold with mild interest. Naruto was the type of person that could bring out the best in anyone. He did so with Haku, Zabuza, and Sasuke himself. He once wondered how the boy managed to do it, and now he knew. The boy could forgive anything. It was the greatest difference between the two.

Naruto did not judge a person based on their past actions, only seeking to know them at that point. It was not a conscious action; it was an ability he simply had, independent from his whole.

"Uchiha, how's the new eye?" Umi asked.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and to his surprise, the eye was fully functioning. He forced his eyes into the Mangekyou state. He winced as the original eye twinged in familiar pain. His vision was blurred on that side as well, while clear in the new eye. Somehow the curse was cured, though only in that one eye.

He allowed the swirling pattern to fade, and finally replied to the question, "Better."

"It's better than going blind in both eyes."

Sasuke said nothing. He should have known that she would know about his problems with his newfound power, that did not mean he found it any less ominous. She carried far more knowledge than he was comfortable with.

"Don't worry about her Sasuke," Naruto spoke up as he felt the discomfort washing over him.

It was still odd for him to feel the emotions of others. He thought of it as a parting gift from Karama. A hint of sorrow overcame him as he thought of the fox. The creature wanted no part of the world that had betrayed the vision of his father and locked him and his family away to use as weapons in their endless campaigns against one another.

Humans were fickle creatures like that. They hated that which they did not understand and shunned all that was different. No one trusted anyone to simply act as a person, they all saw lies and deceit at every onset. Thoughts of knives in the back led to real ones, and words meant to empower the people instead saw them crushed under the heel of dictators who only sought to take as much power as they could for themselves.

"I'm not worried," Sasuke grouched.

"Whatever you say."

Sakura, at last, regained control over her emotions and joined in the banter. "Don't pick on Sasuke, Naruto. I only just got him to talk."

Umi and Naruto laughed. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. He forgot how annoying Naruto could be sometimes.

"Can you just get on with what you came here for?" Sasuke grumbled in an attempt to get them to stop irking his nerves.

"He's right Umi, the quicker we get this over with the quicker we can get to setting up the foundation of our plan."

"What's the plan?" Sakura asked.

"We're gonna bring down this system, and lead the people into a new era of peace a prosperity."

Only a short while after her birth Umi would not have cared about the fate of those people. She had no desire to live in this world back then, and she had no love for it. The people and things within it meant nothing to her. that all changed when she got her first taste of true chakra, and the secrets it held. It was too hard not to care about something when you touched its soul.

She did just that, with Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Their pain was her own, their feelings were a part of her, and they were a part of her, more than they knew. They were all linked, and as long as she or any one of them lived the grave could not hold them. To ensure one's survival was to ensure the survival of all.

"How are we going to manage that?" Sakura asked though Sasuke would have if she did not. The goal was ambitious to the extreme and goes with such ambition tied to them often carried extreme means of bringing them to fruition.

"The Sharingan," Umi replied. She tossed a vial to Sasuke. It contained three eyes, one black, and two green. "Those are all Sharingan that I derived from the one you gave me. They are all capable of utilizing the kekkei genkai's true form, without the side-effects. With them, you will be more powerful than ever, but not invincible. The eyes utilize massive amounts of chakra, though with Sasuke's little trick you can probably bypass that problem, though it wouldn't do you any favour to draw attention to yourselves."

"You think someone will attack us in the village," Sasuke said.

Umi nodded. "Yes, especially considering the fact that a spy was placed on your team."

"Sai's a spy?" Sakura blurted out.

"Yea," Naruto picked up for Umi, "He works for a guy named Shimura Danzo, an old war hawk all the way from the first war. He's got a lot of power and influence inside and outside of the village."

"Why is he having us watched?"

"I don't really know Sasuke. Our best guess is that it's because of that mission, other than that I can't make any more guesses."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "We're gonna have to train even harder, and we need to find a way to find out what Sai knows."

"Yea, that sounds like the best thing to do right now, but what are you two going to do?"

"We're leaving to try and find ways to become stronger. If we find anything that might be of use to either of you we will let you know, until then Naruto and I will be watching, and if you need us we'll know."

No time was wasted with goodbyes, they all knew they would be seeing each other again soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I want to give a shout out to SJ112 and Orchestra of Order for taking the time to read and review this story. I'm elated to know that you all are here with me on the journey. I hope that you all continue to stick it out and read until the end.**

 **Chapter 9**

Team Hanabi's brush with death was harrowing. It was a sign of the truth that they tried to evade. They knew when their team formed that they were not ready, and so did the old monkey. It was purely their stupidity and determination to prove those around them wrong that caused them to chase forward.

They thought themselves better than those that came before them, not understanding the validity of the restrictions placed upon them. They thought they were being held back from showcasing their talents, from proving they deserved to wear the headbands that stood proudly on their foreheads, that they were worthy of the title and responsibility that accompanied those symbols.

Now they could comprehend the true nature of the beast; the axiom that should have been evident to them the moment they started the academy. Children were not ready for the crucible of Shinobi life. This simple statement was the cold truth.

The romantic view of ninja and their tasks provided by their education did not even attempt to paint the darkness that lurked in every corner. They did not confess the depth of danger and depravity that smothered them all, and why would they? Genin were all child soldiers, trained from toddlerhood to see their home as the only good in the world, and all who opposed it as evil.

The young could not see that such a view was unable to coincide with reality. The world was not black and white, or good and evil. There were shades of gray that forced a decision from those who gazed down upon the abyss. The creeping malaise could turn the greatest of intention into something sinister.

It was only luck that saw them home. Well, luck and divine intervention. Their savior did not hide his identity from them. They now knew that Naruto was alive, though they wished that the reveal of such information was not accompanied by the ugly facts surrounding his death.

Naruto confessed to them that he did in fact die. He passed on from this realm to the next and he was saved drifting in darkness by Umi, a Goddess. She carried him forth from the land of the dead and onto the world of the living, yet he could not return home to them. Cruel machinations set forth by those in power, who hid behind banners of principled authority.

His death had not been the result of actions taken by an unknown enemy as Sakura and Sasuke suggested in the beginning. He died due to Konoha's own greed, and the system of they served.

It was a tough pill to swallow, considering Hanabi and Konohamaru's standing as heir and member respectfully of two clans that held a great deal of influence. For Konohamaru to know that it was on due to the orders of his own Grandfather that such a tragedy was allowed to pass.

It was a betrayal of the highest degree, yet and still, Naruto did not seek vengeance for himself. His vow to break the cycle of hatred and suffering came from his need to help others. It was the crux of his identity. He was the type to lend a helping hand whenever he could. It was immutable that he would not allow the ordinary folk who lived their own lives, wanting no part of their bloody history.

The Shinobi world never gave these people the opportunity to live the lives they chose. They forced them to fear all that they saw, for hidden all around them were individuals that would like no more than to see them burn. The haze of anxiety and haplessness forced them to turn to the hidden villages for protection when they created the monsters that they claimed to want to destroy.

For Hanabi, these revelations created a more ominous image of her family. The caged bird seal was malevolent enough in its own right, and when coupled with the deep setting plague of murder and violence called into question all that she knew. Her father always spoke of honor and dignity, which he never showed to others, because he did not have to. He was powerful and wealthy, and part of an influential clan.

It begged the question of how their clan (and by extension her father) rose to such power. Plots of terror, and tangled webs of deceit sprawled across the entirety of the elemental nations, interconnecting and weaving a pattern. There were no true losers in the structure of the Shinobi system. They profited in times of war and in times of "peace". That was the cold hard truth.

 **IGSL**

Hinata's training with Kurenai was going surprisingly well. Her talent for the art of genjutsu was quite surprising, as the number of Hyuga that went against the teachings of their clan and attempted to learn more than their traditional Gentle Fist were looked down upon and often cast into the branch family.

She was aware that it was very likely she would find herself sharing the fate of the less fortunate Hyuga, and she did not fear such coming to pass. Her father never loved her the way that a father should. He saw her as a tool to be used in the continued aspiration of their clan to rule.

The Hyuga were powerful, and with the loss of the Uchiha most saw them as the summit of what a clan was capable of. There was none more fear, revered, and respected as the noble Hyuga. It was sickening to contemplate how little any of the people who regarded them with such high esteem knew about their practices and how ignorant they were about the caged bird seal.

With only a few days more of training to go before the exams began it was nearing the moment that she was sure her life would change. She researched the exams whenever she could, and found that they normally included three portions, two of which tested chunin-hopefuls in varying ways depending upon the village hosting the event, and the third portion was always a tournament.

If she made it to the final portion her father would have a chance to see her in action, and she was prepared to make her stand there. She could not allow her people to suffer in silence. She would use the stage as a chance to defy the clan elders and the will of her father. She would show them that a Hyuga could be different, that they could do more than use the Gentle Fist.

The finals were not her only concern, not when her cousin Neji was competing as well. For a long time she felt sorry for him and tried to be there for him after the death of his father... the boy resented her. He spoke to her in passive-aggressive tones and tried to make her feel inferior, and she was when it came to their clan techniques.

His harsh adherence to the doctrine of fate, and his singleminded ability to learn any Hyuga art he saw pushed him into the realm of her father's favorite, despite his being a member of the branch family. Her father could not see that Neji hated them all. He was a poor child who had his freedom and true family taken from him.

He never tried to move past it. He wallowed in the self-pity and covered his failures with talks of fate. He saw his suffering as the fate of being born in unenviable circumstance. He saw himself trapped when it was his choice whether to live in bondage or die in freedom.

"Hinata are you alright?" Kurenai asked. She was a little worried about the girl. The way that she learned the art was phenomenal, and Kurenai could safely say that Hinata had the skill of a chunin in the art of genjutsu, outside of moments of training was an entirely different ordeal.

She was often staring off into space or looking to cram in more training than she needed. There were dark circles under her eyes from what Kurenai was sure was last nights studying.

"I'm fine sensei," it was the same answer she had gotten the first few times she asked, and it was still as empty now as it was then. There was more going on than she knew, and she did not like it.

"Hinata, could you please stop lying to me. I'm not some child that you can easily tell of like that,"

"Sensei, really I'm-" she did not get to finish the statement, as a hand cracked across her face. She lifted her own hand to her reddened cheek and stared at her teacher in shock.

"Are you done acting like a petulant child?" Kurenai would have rather not hit the girl, but being distracted the way that she was would be disastrous for the exam. There would be deaths and she hoped that she would not undergo the same pain that she saw in Kakashi's eye.

Hinata continued to stare unblinkingly. Kurenai sighed and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Hinata, please just tell me what wrong," she pleaded softly.

Hinata's shock wore off, and she shook herself loose from her sensei. "I can't tell you,"

The clear fear and apprehension in her voice made Kurenai want to sweep her up in a hug. She resisted the urge. "Hinata you can tell me anything."

Hinata shook her head, "I don't want you to be sad."

"What would make me sad?"

A lull of quietness blanketed them. Hinata did not want to speak of her troubles or the plan she knew her father cooked up. Hanabi did not even know, though she would be party to it willingly or not. "Please sensei, don't make me,"

"If you tell me I can help," Kurenai tried again.

Hinata swallowed thickly as she contemplated her course of action. She did not have much to lose if she informed Kurenai. The issue was that Kurenai did have something to lose, and Hinata did not want her to suffer if she could prevent it.

In the end, she cracked. She spilled her heart to the older woman.

Kurenai could not believe what she heard from Hinata's lips. It was fantastical, and yet she saw no reason not to believe. It would make no sense for Hinata to lie about such a provocative plot.

"Hinata, I'll find a way to stop this,"

"You can't stop it, but I know a way you can help. If you do though and they find out there won't be any hope for you."

"I know,"

 **IGSL**

"Hanabi, what do you want?" Sasuke never had the pleasure of speaking to the girl much. Now that Naruto was able to move to and from the village with ease he often asked Sasuke about Hanabi when he was unable to get in contact with her and her little friends.

Sasuke could wrap his head around the fact that Naruto was able to deal with the four of them on a constant basis. Sure they were smart and strong for their age group, but Konohamaru and Moegi were always trying to get him to play their little kids games, and it was tiresome after the first two times.

"Sasuke I need you to give this to her," she handed him a scroll.

He narrowed his eyes, "Is this what I think it is?"

Hanabi nodded, "She's the only one that can analyze it, and we need it done before the exam. There's something in the works that I can't tell you about right now, but you need to get your sensei up to speed."

If she being serious about that then the situation was far graver than she was letting on. "Fine, but we'll be using it as well."

Hanabi nodded, not expecting any less from a member of team seven.

 **IGSL**

Asuma's nerves were a little on edge. He nominated his team for the exam, and he knew for a fact that they were not ready. Shikamaru was the lone student he felt had the greatest chance of receiving a promotion. that was neither here nor there, however, as the current cause of his stress smoking was not his team. It was the woman he loved.

He wanted to stop hiding their relationship, an idea she was vehemently against. He was unable to see why she would be so adamant that they let no one know. They had nothing to hide.

In his frustration, he went to her home. He knocked on the door and was happily surprised by her opening it fairly quickly.

"Hey," he said lamely as he looked at his crimson eyed lover.

She chuckled at his antics. "Come in, you big lug."

Not needing to be told twice he stepped into the apartment. He had been there plenty of times before, and it never ceased to amaze him how quaint it was. The entire place was filled with shelves lined with all assortment of knickknacks, pictures, and other little cozy details.

This visit was a bit different for him than the others. Whenever he came over before it was to have dinner and spend alone time together. This time he only wanted to talk.

It seemed that he would not be having the conversation he wanted with her, as on the couch that sat in the living room was Anko, sprawled out underneath a blanket asleep. Enough of the cover was bunched up to the point that he could see part of her hips were exposed.

Asuma had no real issue with Anko as a person. He knew her from the time they were children, and often she would accompany himself and Kurenai on their adventures when they were children, as they got older and he gained an interest in the opposite sex his friendship with Anko deteriorated, due in part to the fact that he knew Anko was in love with Kurenai as well.

They did not argue or fight about it, it was simply a point of contention between them that they kept quiet from those around them, although he was sure Kurenai caught on at some point.

"What's she doing here?"

The urge to roll her eyes hit Kurenai hard. "She's here because I was expecting you to come here sometime soon, and we all need to talk."

Asuma walked into the small dining area that separated the kitchen and living room and took a seat at the table. Kurenai put some tea on.

"What do we have to talk about?" he tried to keep any hostility out of the air. He did not want to start a confrontation, especially when he did not have all the facts.

"Let me wake Anko first then we can talk." Kurenai moved over to the couch and gently shook her friend.

'Five more minutes..." she said through light snores.

Kurenai shook again, and this time her eyes opened. "Nai-chan?" she asked through sleep filled eyes.

"Yea it's me, go ahead and get showered. Asuma's here."

"Mmkay," she sat up and stretched, being careful to make make sure the cover did not fall, and then she slunk into the bathroom to prepare for the day.

The kettle whistled, and Kurenai went to finish preparing the tea. When she was done she set a cup down for each of them and left the sugar out for them to sweeten it to their liking.

Asuma doled out the amount he wanted (not a lot and not a little, somewhere in the middle), and stirred it before taking a sip. The aroma of the peppermint was strong enough to be tasted, but not overbearing. It was his favorite tea to have when he couldn't smoke.

They sat in silence, enjoying the calm tranquility. Anko was out of the shower quickly, and she took her seat. She grabbed a ridiculous amount of sugar and dumped it into her cup. Asuma was sure it was more syrup than tea at that point. He wondered how she managed to stay slim when all he ever saw her eat was dango, and drink tea.

"Now that you're awake Anko we can talk," Kurenai began "Before either of you say anything let me say what I have to say first."

They both nodded. "I know that you both are in love with me, and Asuma you and I are in a relationship, however I can't hide from the fact that I love Anko just as much as I love you, and that makes the situation more complicated than I would like, but I've found a solution if you're both willing to compromise."

"I ain't spreadin' my legs for the beard over there if that's what you're asking," Anko said hotly.

"I'm with her on this one. I don't have anything against her, but I only want you."

Kurenai decided to cut straight to the chase before they riled each other up any further. "I know that, and I wasn't asking for you two to do anything with each other. I found a jutsu that lets me change genders, and I wanted to be Anko's boyfriend and your girlfriend Asuma."

Anko laughed, "Come on Nai, you and I both know that's impossible."

Asuma shook his head. "For once I agree with her."

"Oh shut it, you chainsmoking ass," Anko retorted

Kurenai's eye twitched as they descended into their usual barking and banter. THose two were very much like cats and dogs. "Ninja Art: Shifting Skin"

They looked at her in awe as her body went from her usual gorgeous (she spent hours trying to look good every day, and would be damned if she did not compliment herself) self, to a tall slender man with more or less the same features. It was her first successful use of the jutsu in front of another person, and she was proud of it.

Anko's jaw dropped at the sight, but she quickly picked it back up. "Oh nice transformation, but you'll have to wake up pretty early to fool me."

She reached her hand forward, and grabbed lewdly at Kurenai's crotch, and pulled it back as though she were burned. She looked at her hand, and then back to Kurenai's crotch. The sight was hilarious.

"Are you done making an ass of yourself?" Kurenai asked smugly through a fit of giggles.

'Hardi har har, just laugh it up." Anko grumbled back.

'You asked for it. I told you what it did,"

"So it's real?" Asuma asked.

"As real as any dick I've felt," Anko's comment earned her a light smack upside the head from Kurenai.

"Don't be so crass Anko," he said.

Asuma broke out in an uproar of guffaws, nearly spilling the hot contents of his cup all over himself. He managed to keep a grip on it though.

"The hell you laughin' at?" The question from Anko would have been menacing if not for her taking another bop on the head from her now male best friend.

"Anko play nice," (s)he warned

"Fine," she huffed like a child on punishment, "But I better get a reward for it."

"You might if the two fo you can agree."

Kurenai turned back to Asma who finally recovered from his laughing fit. "I'm fine with it, as long as you're male when you with Anko."

Anko jumped up and pointed a finger at Asuma. "Who are you and what have you done to Asuma?"

Kurenai glared at Anko, but Asuma spoke before she could hit the excitable kunoichi again. "Calm down woman. I might not get along with you, but even I know that everyone deserves a chance at happiness, and with all the shit you went through you need it."

Anko stared at him blankly, "Wha?"

"You heard me. I'm not like the other people in this village. I know that you're loyal. I've seen the work you do, and the way you're treated. You have all the skills of any jonin, and my father and the rest of those old bastards in power throw you by the wayside. I might not like you as a person, but I understand your pain."

The air turned dark and killing intent rolled off Anko like fog rolling from a pond in the morning. "How would you understand?"

Asuma was unphased by the display. "I know because of my father. The villagers see him as a kind grandfatherly figure, and the Shinobi see him as a man they can trust above. I never saw any of that. I saw the truth. He is a man willing to sacrifice anything in the pursuit of peace, and the protection of the WIll of Fire. No matter how much he says he cares he does not, and that led my brother to his death."

"Brother?" Kurenai asked underneath her breath.

"My brother was ten years older than me, and I looked up to him. I was so proud to be an uncle when Konohamaru was born, and I thought my brother would be there to watch him grow and show me the ropes to raising kids so that I would be ready when I had my own. Sadly it never got to that point."

Anko's killing intent dissipated as she heard the pain and sadness in his voice. "What happened?"

Asuma's fist slammed down onto the table. The wood cracked and the cups fell to the floor spilling tea everywhere. "My father killed my brother. He killed him to protect a secret that my brother wanted to get out."

"What was the secret?"

Auma leaned in, "The truth of Konoha's role in the Third Great War and the destruction of Uzu."

 **IGSL**

Kabuto was not pleased with his current predicament. He was being followed of that he was sure, however, he was unsure of where his watcher was. His sensing ability was fairly powerful, thus it was near impossible to hide from him by simply masking it. Whoever was tailing him did not bother concealing the energy, they excelled at keeping themselves hidden.

He went to work, mindful of their presence. Even in the hospital, they continued to trail behind him, watching his every move. He needed to get information to Orochimaru, and if he could not shake them he would be punished.

He tried every trick he could to lose them, and still, they persisted, so when his lunch break came he went home. As he predicted they followed. "Show yourself."

Outwardly he looked calm and ready for anything, on the inside he was slightly panicked. There were few with the skills to avoid his detection, and one of them was Jiraya of the Sanin. He hoped it was not that man, otherwise, he would have to abandon his cover and flee the village.

The chakra got closer, and he could make out where it was exactly. His hand reached instinctively for a kunai just as a cat pounced on him. He was flabbergasted by the black feline and allowed it to rub itself all over him before he regained his composure.

The animal was giving off the chakra that had stalked him all day, and that was a baffling sentiment. The few animals that could mold chakra like humans could tended to be summons or human trained animal partners, and he was sure there were no ninja cats in the village unless someone managed to sneak some in under the noses of the barrier squad and himself.

The feline purred and rubbed its body against his leg, and he bent down and picked up. Deciding the animal was no danger to him, and wanting to observe it he allowed it to stay.

The animal was a curious specimen. It could use the basic chakra control exercise of tree walking to stick to walls and ceilings (which is how he managed to dodge Kaubto), and he could use a little fire manipulation to shoot small orbs of harmless fire. The creature peaked his interest.

 **IGSL**

"We've got an opportunity," Sasuke said two days before the exams.

"What's up?" Sakura asked.

"One of our plants discovered a plot between Suna and Oto to attack Konoha during the finals of the exam,"

"Why do we care?"

"Because we have much to gain from it. They are planning to use some sort of weapon called a jinchuriki. I don't know what that is, but I'm sure Umi does, so we might be able to gain control of it for our own use later."

"You are right Uchiha I do in fact know what this weapon you speak of it, and I've already sent Naruto to take care of it."

He was really getting tired of Naruto and Umi sneaking up on him every time they came to the village. If he was not so used to it he would have burned down his house or killed someone by now.

"What is this weapon?" he asked, not wanting to play her games.

"It's a person, with a tailed beast locked away inside of them, just as Naruto had been before."

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto had the nine tails sealed inside of him by the Yondiame. It's the reason the people of this place treated him as they did. They did not and do not understand the nature of the beasts and their power, and saw him not as a prison for the beast, but the beast itself."

The answer only brought more questions. Why would the Naruto be chosen to house the creature,? Why were they lied to about it? what did the village have to gain by leaving someone with such untapped potential to the wayside?

"I know there is much you would like to know, but now is not the time. You need to prepare and relay this information to Kakashi. He's the only one of you capable of taking action right now."

That was true. The man had no obligations during the time the exams were to be going on, and that would allow him freedom of movement. They could not because of Sai's ties to Danzo.

"There is one more matter that I would like to talk about before I take my leave to assist Naruto, and I'm afraid you are not going to like it Sasuke."

"Just tell me so we can prepare."

Umi shook her head. "You clan was planning a coup against the village. Your brother was forced to kill them all under the orders of the Sandiame and Danzo."

Sasuke's eyes flashed red and he met Umi's gaze. "My clan what?"

"They were traitors and the one man out of them who was not took all the blame. He saved you and your kin from the gaze of disgrace. He protected you all and condemned himself to die in dishonor by your hand."

Sasuke's emotions were conflicting. He wanted to believe that his clan would not make such a rash decision, that they would not forsake all that they had helped create. Why would they do that?

Sakura touched his arm. "Sasuke your brother's out there if we find him we can learn the truth."

Did he really want the truth? He spent his life after the massacre training his hate so that he could pursue his vengeance, and if he was wrong what would he do?

"We don't have a choice. If what you say is true Umi I need to know. I've lived my life to kill that man, and if he is truly so loyal to the village I don't know what to do. The corruption is too much to bear."

"The village is not the problem, it's the people in it. We don't have to destroy this place, we can rebuild and reshape it." Sakura replied.

"She's right we could lead this land to prosper," Umi added.

"Why would we? What have they done for us? They let Naruto die, they killed my clan, they destroyed both me and my brother! How can I forgive them."

"The people are sheep Sasuke, they don't know any better. They want safety and protection, that's the basis of the hidden villages. the idea is not the problem. We all want to be safe, we all want to be somewhere where we can do as we please without fear. They want to live their lives as we do."

Sasuke took a deep breath. He needed to be calm. "We will find Itachi, and we will learn the truth. We can decide then what to do."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys again I forgot this in the last chapter but I'd like to also give a shout out to BigBossVince, Midnightsince, Mrfox225, Orchestra of Order, THDL, and mantoniolealt for following this story, and a special thanks to dragma for favoriting it.**

 **Chapter 10**

Naruto's nerves were on edge as he approached the jinchuriki known as Gaara. He was the son of the Kazekage, and therefore his death would be a large political blow to both Suna and Konoha. However, Naruto's intentions did not lay in causing harm to the boy. He knew that if the boy perished the beast he held would be given the chance to reform at a later time, without them being able to pinpoint its location.

That would be disastrous, so in order to prevent the situation from going belly up, he decided that diplomacy combined with a bit of espionage would be the best course of action. His observations of the boy gave him little doubt of some kind of mental instability, and a murderous rage that accompanied it.

Strangely he was detached from it, taking lives, not for himself or some petty feelings of power, or pride, or any other emotion that usually led to such episodes. He simply killed, or so it seemed at first glance. Through more thorough investigation, and tailing he came to a far different, and more dangerous conclusion.

The Ichibi was able to communicate with the boy in some way and managed to convince him that it was his mother. The lack of love and care displayed by his brother and sister and the cold distance that his sensei gave off was an indicator that they had long since stopped caring.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked from his perch in a tree overlooking a small stream and several houses in the distance. The night was cool and crisp, and the smell of dried blood wafting from Gaara's gourd was thick in the air. If Naruto had been a normal person he would have feared for his life, but the child was no threat to him.

A smile made its way onto the face Naruto wore. He decided to take the angle of an experienced old man who knew of his burden and was willing to help him through it. The graying hair and wrinkled skin were in line with the expectation of such a man, Naruto's acting would have to sell it though.

"Name's Nanashi kid." His gruff voice echoed through the night air.

Gaara turned around, settling his eyes on the newcomer, "Leave," he said plainly.

Naruto chuckled. "Now I can't leave a kid out here alone in the middle of the night now can I?"

"I do not need help, leave now or I'll kill you,"

Again Naruto laughed, and in mere moments the gourd crumbled into sand rushing forward, scooping Naruto up and compacting around him. Gaara returned to watching the people below him as he did every night while others enjoyed their undisturbed nights of rest. He envied them.

"That was rude," The old man was still alive. He was unmolested excluding the sand that clung to him in large clumps.

Feeling his mother's anger spike Gaara stood stretching his arm out and silently commanding his sand to attack. To his frustration, the man vanished from his spot one moment and reappeared next to him. No one had been that close to Gaara in a long time, and his natural defense panicked. His sand armor exploded from his body trying in vain to smother the interloper.

Nothing worked. The man was far too agile, dodging this way and that with an unseen rhythm. He tried, again and again, to pin down his aggravating prey to no avail.

"WHY WON"T YOU DIE?!" Gaara screamed out. He poured as much chakra as he could into his sand he sent it out again, this time in a roaring wave that crash and swallowed all in its path.

Gaara fell to one knee. His breathing was heavy, his vision blurred, and his body shook. He tried to get to his feet, managing to get onto one knee before collapsing onto the ground.

The chakra infused sentient weapon of his continued to thrash and crush all it could, creating a small sandstorm that left the entire area resembling the desert of his homeland. The wasteful expenditure of energy left him exhausted and unable to move. He allowed himself to fall onto his back, closing his eyes as the voice of his mother faded.

"I wasn't going to kill you," Naruto said after he managed to haul himself free from a sand dune. "I really wasn't, but you're beyond saving right now. It's better this way."

Gaara's eyes opened once more staring up weakly. Never had he felt this tired, lacking the constant murmuring of his mother. He felt cold as he watched his soon-to-be killer. "Why?" he choked out through the pain in his chest.

"I told you I didn't want to kill you, but you're beyond saving," Naruto whispered back. He truly had desired to avoid this course of action. They shared the same burden, the same pain, and they were the separate outcomes of it.

What if he had become the same type of monster as this child? A beast, brutish and skillful solely in the art of carnage, reveling in the gore of it all. A terrifying concept that strengthened his resolve.

In the past, the threat of death always rang hollow. Now he knew the fear of it. "I don't want to die!" he screamed out.

He tried to crawl, to find egress, knowing that there was none, just as there had been none for his victims. How many pleaded for their lives as he stood over them? How many tried to flee? How many did not deserve their fate? Perhaps this was his fate, a punishment for his sins.

Hands wrapped around his throat and he screamed struggling with the last of his strength. The eternal abyss encroached further and further upon him, filling his world with crushing darkness as he crossed its threshold.

 **IGSL**

"Are these reports correct?" Hiruzen massaged his temples as he listened to reports from his ANBU of a suspected battle that supposedly took place just on the outskirts of the residential district. The damage caused by whatever unknown factions fought there was not great in any sense of the word to him and his shinobi (the genin would say otherwise as they were cleaning the mess), if the sightings of the Kazekage's youngest son in the midst of the battle rang true, it would not have to be.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. We do not know the outcome of the battle nor have we found any of its participants, however, we have already issued orders for tighter guards on foreign examinees and stringent restrictions on where they are allowed to go." ANBU captain Tiger was by and far his most efficient soldier, a grand ally to have in advanced age.

"Is the Kaazekage's son missing?" Danzo asked.

The Council was in session deliberating on a strategy to deal with the complications that were fast arising. Hiruzen envied his predecessors. It was his will to create the Council as a means to balance the power of the Hokage and ensure the people were truly represented. He regretted the decision from the beginning.

The seat of Hokage ceased to be of use to Danzo after he was allowed the position of elder and the power that followed it. The backstabbing began at the onset of his ascension. His actions in Ame with his ROOT was the cause of an international incident that left the small nation crippled for years, less than a decade postponed from the destruction that was the Second Great Shinobi War, and the betrayal of his vow to lend men to Uzu should they ever need it cost them their greatest ally and a good portion of the world's knowledge of seals.

All of this madness and loss, all due to a man who knew no true loyalty- for a foul creature who's heart shone as black as the void from whence he came. As unenviable as the situation Hiruzen found himself in, if as his own foolhardy choice to trust the bastard then, and it was his torment now.

"He is, however his team reports that he often leaves for hours on end to meditate away from others," Hawk, second in command of Tiger's team answer Danzo's hanging question.

Hiruzen coughed and drew his pipe. He lit it with a quick fire jutsu. The pungent aroma calming his nerves. "It matters little whether or not he is truly missing. Find him so that relationship between our villages does not become more frigid than they already are."

Hawk wasted no time, the after-image of his body flicker fading a mere moment after the order was given.

"I do not see why we try so hard to keep relations with Suna Hiruzen," his former teammate and Councillor Mitokado spoke up after the ANBU were gone.

Utatane Koharu, the last member of the Council and last teammate nodded in agreement. How he allowed himself to become surrounded by War Hawks was beyond him.

Sighing he mentally prepared himself for a headache that was to ensue.

 **IGSL**

The day of the exams finally came, bringing about a feeling a dread within Kakashi. He crushed the emotion. The conspiracy derived by his students left a bitter taste in his mouth. In his youth, such talk, even in absence of any true action, was intolerable. Now he was on the other end of the spectrum. He was not attempting to track down leads and root out the rabble that deigned to paltry attempts that challenged the reign of his beloved village. He was that scum plotting in the night.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth. He protected this land with his body and soul for as long as his memory served him. Through war, death, and madness he stayed resolute in his work- taking pride in it, lapping up the praise of his superiors. Outwardly he was uncaring, inwardly he cared too much.

He learned when his father took his own life how much the pain of loving and losing hurt than never having at all. The crippling sadness and loneliness, the throbbing ache that grew and grew. It was a weakness- he needed no one, or at least that was what he told himself.

It was untrue as all else in his mess of a life. The crueler irony of it was that they all died protecting him. Obito saved him from being crushed to death, and both Rin and Minato sacrificed themselves for the good of the village. He lived shallowed by the guilt of living.

When he was first given charge of team seven he wanted to fail them regardless of the consequences, they reminded him far too much of his old squad. He avoided training them and tried his damnedest to stay distant. Naruto was far too persistent for it to work.

The joy he displayed on a constant basis was infectious, so much so that Kakashi smiled more in his time with his team than he had in his entire life. He grew attached, attracted by Naruto's uncanny ability to unintentionally say just what people needed to hear. It was awe-inducing to witness him talk Zabuza into admitting his true feelings in regards to his apprentice, and into fighting Gato and all his men, not to mention how he was able to get Inari to see that at some point you had to say 'enough is enough'.

Then death visited Kakashi's life once more taking with him the last bit of joy in Kakashi's life. It was a debilitating blow. Unlike the other deaths that haunted him there was no more he could have done than he already did. He was powerless to stop it.

When Sasuke claimed that Naruto rose from the grave he had half a mind to take the boy to T&I- a quick flash of the Sharingan dissuaded the notion, forcing him to agree to meet with what he could only assume was an imposter of some sort. It was not, the boy was the real deal, and that left Kakashi in a more conflicted situation.

On one hand, Naruto was declared dead by the village (as he was, in fact, dead), and therefore was no longer a Shinobi of Konoha, and on the other, he was plotting something- what Kakashi was not sure. H needed to carefully mull over the situation before taking action.

 **IGSL**

The Chunin Exams were upon them and Sai was as prepared as he would ever be. Danzo-sama decided it was time for him to eliminate Uchiha Sasuke. With intelligence suggesting Orochimaru would likely infiltrate the village sometime during the event, the best course of action was to make certain that he could not gain access to the Sharingan.

Of course no one knew of Sai's mission outside of himself and Danzo, because rather than allow the information he gathered to be made known among the intelligence community of Konoha he hoarded it, knowing that Orochimaru would not be able to resist taking a stab at Hiruzen and if the old fool fell in battle the only choice to replace him would be Danzo.

He might have already obtained great power when he duped the old goat into creating the council and giving seats to those who would be most sympathetic to his cause, yet his greed and ambition knew no bounds. He would stop at nothing to have total control.

Sai knew this, having seen it first hand when Shin died, and when his innocence was taken from him.

He wanted Danzo to pay for what he had done- his blood sang for retribution, but he tempered the feeling as he was taught to do with all his emotions. He was not ready to take such a challenge, he would bide his time.

He smiled a genuine smile to himself as he sat in the low light of his room sharpening his weapon, preparing for the long road ahead.

IGSL

"Hanabi-chan, I'm glad that you could make it," The Sandiame greeted her as she slipped into his office.

She bowed to him, "It's a pleasure to meet you in person Hokage-sama," she said as her head came up.

"No need for such formalities, even if we are meeting in our official capacity we can at least find a small bit of joy in such an interaction,"

"I suppose," Hanabi replied, "I'm used to dealing with my father, and he is a stickler for the rules."

"Oh, yes I know," Hiruzen chuckled. "He can be quite the stick in the mud, but I digress, I have another meeting shortly that only just came up, so you might be correct in wanting to cut to the chase. Simply, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon will be participating in the exam. I know before I said they would not be allowed to do so, I believe I was far too quick to render judgment. After reading over mission reports and client surveys I am sure that they will do well. You will pretend to be their jonin sensei, and if all three of them make it to the finals or one of them is promoted you will be promoted."

That was most unexpected. Not for a moment did any of them think it possible that the old man's mind would be changed, it was an opportunity they could not afford to let pass. If any of them were to be promoted it would allow them more freedom to begin spreading their influence.

'She bowed again, "Thank you for the honor Hokage-sama,"

"You're welcome," he waved her off and she left feeling giddy.

 **IGSL**

It was time for the exams to begin. All of the jonin of the village who were not on mission or needed to keep an eye on their more unscrupulous guests were seated in the jonin lounge, a breakroom area located in the Hokage Tower.

Kakashi was seated next to Kurenai and Asuma, and another woman. Her real identity was Hyuga Hanabi, for the day, however, she was Mirai jonin of Konoha.

"How do you think your students will do Kakashi?" Asuma asked in a jovial tone.

Kakashi decided that a bit of banter would do no harm. "I think Sasuke and Sakura have a great chance of reaching the finals, I don't know about getting promoted. What about yours?"

Asuma leaned back, he wished he could have a cigarrette. "They aren't ready, at least not all of them. I think Shikamaru has a chance, Ino and Choji lack too many of the core skills that they're looking for."

"My team isn't ready either," Mirai spoke softly. "Konohamaru and Moegi are rash, and Udon is soft-spoken. I believe they have the skills to advance but not the discipline."

"They're younger than the others, it'll come with time." Kurenai offered.

"I know, but if they made it I could rub it in your faces!" She snickered back.

Kurenai looked down dejectedly "You're a brat,"

"What? Can't take a little competition?"

The two dissolved into a small play fight, and the other jonin stared at them. It was not an act, not a moment coerced for the sake of gaining intelligence, or some other covert thing. Kurenai and Hanabi were truly friends, mostly in thanks to Hinata.

The girl introduced them formally when her father brought Hanabi along with him to crash one of Hinata's training sessions. It came to light that Hiashi was not unaware of his daughter's learning, he simply no longer cared. It was decided by the elders of the clan that following the conclusion of the Chunin Exams Hinata would be branded with the damnable seal.

A prognostication of ill portent if there ever was one. This sped up their timeframe for their own plans and forced Hanabi and Kurenai to meet. They hit it off rather well.

While it was not visible to the naked eye none of the four jonin felt the clam they displayed. They were afraid of the coming days, for whether by their own hands or the hands of others the world was changing. There were machinations abound, ready to be sprung and drag the world into the crevase.

For all of them, their sole reason for soldiering on in spite of what they saw over the horizon were their students. they care for the young boys and girls they spent the last nine months training, and now their resolve was being tested.

Kakashi for one was the most nervous, as he had the most to lose. HIs students were the leaders of the rebellion that was brewing beneath their own feet, and if the story of Itachi indeed had any basis in reality, the consequences of discovery would not be pleasant.

That was another driving force in their steadfast stance of aiding their students. The information that they were now able to gather now gave insight into situations and circumstances that many did not even know came to pass. Thee were answers to questions, and more questions to be answered, in the end, it all pointed to a chilling revelation.

The Hokage or Kage, in general, were not what they seemed to be. They were at their core me who fought for peace, though not for the entirety of the Nations of the world, simply for Konoha, and they would do whatever it took to achieve that goal.

It was an easy sentiment to believe. The men who took up the mantle of Hokage were looked upon as the protectors of their peoples, and if eliminating factions who's view did not coincide, or outright contradicted the doctrine of the village was not a show of how willing they were to do whatever it took to keep their people safe, then nothing could.

Attacking villages that were home to their enemies was not a point of contention, the countless documents that pointed to the use of shinobi working under the guise of bandits in order to incite fear in the civilian population and force the Daimyo to give them more funding.

In addition, there were other records that suggested Danzo's involvement in the Orochimaru incident, and several cases of supposed interventions in other countries.

There was much to fear if it were discovered they knew any of the information they found. The cover-up of it all ran all the way back to the Nidiame, who according to records began human experimentation on prisoners of the First Great Shinobi War, and it was this that led to the creation of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and a forbidden jutsu called Impure World Resurrection, the latter of which was capable of raising the dead to fight for the living.

It was becoming increasingly evident as well that very few knew of the documents, and those that did would prefer they were forgotten in the annals of time. How had it even come to the point that such things would have needed to happen? Konoha was supposed to have been built on the belief of peace, that one day men and women from all over the world would be able to live together in Harmony, yet no matter what one does to cultivate such it never comes to fruition due to the greed of others.

Now they stood in Hashirama's seat, attempting to once again create Konoha in the image he intended.

"You alright Kakashi?" Asuma asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Huh, yea I'm uh fine," Kakashi replied awkwardly.

"Doesn't look like it to me." Asuma retorted.

"Got lost in my thoughts," Kakashi waved off his concern.

"That looked like a lot more than just lost in thoughts Kakashi,"

Seeing that Asuma would not be deterred Kakashi decided to indulge the man. He leaned close enough so that only their group would be able to hear any of what he was saying. "Do you think they'll succeed?"

Asuma was not quite expecting that straightforward of a question. it tumped him for a moment, and then he regained his wits, "I think they can, but we have to do our parts as well,"

"Do you truly want to know the truth? What is all of this is the truth? Are you prepared for that?"

Asuma eyed Kakashi worryingly. "We need the truth. We can't hide forever."

"I know, but if we make any mistakes, its all over, and I've lost so many that I loved and cared for, I can't handle it again,"

Kurenai and Mirai looked on at the scene before them. Kakashi was always the kind of person who seemed to have complete control of his emotions, and now he was looking vulnerable for the first time. His voice carried the feeling of his mistakes and burdens that held him down. HIs soul was scarred by the pain of his cherished ones leaving him alone.

'They'll make it, they're strong," Asuma tried.

"They are, however, look at who's lurking around in this village lately. It's only luck that the rampage of the Ichibi Jinchuriki happened in an area without people. It makes me think we're playing with fire."

"We're shinobi Kakashi, we are playing with fire," Asuma shot back. "Each one of us is more dangerous than we seem, and we all kill. We can't be afraid of dying."

'I'm not afraid of dying," Kakashi retorted. "I just want my students to be safe."

Kurenai finally chose that moment to get in on the conversation (after casting a subtle genjutsu that would make it look and sound as if they were talking about a completely unrelated topic. "They chose their own path, all we can do is choose to help or not,"

"They're too young and inexperienced," he growled. "Orochimaru will be in that forest looking for Sasuke, how do you expect me not to worry?"

"I don't," she replied in a soft tone. "I worry just as much as you do. I know my students are not in direct danger, at least not from that animal, but there are other dangers that lurk everywhere. They are shinobi and kunoichi just like us, and at one point they have to be allowed to make their own choices, and fight their own battles,"

"Even if they have to take on an S-rank nukenin," Hanabi added

Kakashi let out a sigh and ran his hands through his hair. "I know thinking about it will do no good, but after what happened to Naruto can you blame me?"

"No I can't," Asuma replied. "If anything happened to one of my students I don't know if I could continue on."

"I feel the same," Kurenai touched a small necklace that Hinata gave her right before she left to go start the first portion of the exams. "They mean the world to me, even if Kiba and Shino don't know it."

"Kono-kun, Moegi-chan, and Udon-kun are three very brave children, and they have proven to me time and time again that they can handle whatever the world throws their way. I want them to be safe and prosper, just like you all want for your students. We can't coddle them even in a moment like this. If they say they have a plan, trust them."

Those wise words coming from the young Hanabi was what they needed to hear. Fear would yield them no success, it was not as if their students were unable to defend themselves, and if they ran into trouble that they could not handle they were not alone. Naruto was there to help them, though only team seven and team Hanabi knew of his presence among the living.

"You're right, we have to trust them." Kakashi agreed.

 **IGSL**

"It's almost time Sasuke," Sakura spoke softly as she checked her gear.

"It is, and I spoke to Naruto about our next course of action," Sasuke replied, "We will create our own village, one that will protect the people regardless of their affiliations."

"Are you sure? Setting a village up will take time, and if we want to find Itachi and avoid being found out by Konoha we won't be able to leave."

"I know. Naruto and Umi will be the ones doing the legwork. They have the freedom of movement, and the ideal location."

The days of the rule of the five great nations was at an end in Sasuke's eyes. The continued betrayal of the people by those they looked to for protection. The seeds of rebellion were scattered all throughout the world, and the villages would reap their reward. Betrayal begets betrayal. It is a cycle that will not be stopped.

Destruction was to be the force by which they would cleanse the world that its infection. The ways of the Shinobi could not be allowed to stand as it was. The powerful preying upon the weak who prostrate themselves in an effort to escape the savagery that followed them.

They did not know better. They could not comprehend what they were allowing to become of themselves. They were sheep out of necessity and not a choice. When being anything other leads to death how can one claim to have given you the right to choose your own destiny?

Fight or die, that was the all that could be done when the odds lay in the enemies favor. It was likely that they would perish in pursuit of their insurmountable task, but they would attempt it. they were chief among the few who could act, who could protect, who could fight.

"Sakura, we all live and die, whether we do so now or then does not matter. Death will greet us and we will greet it back one day, but I plan that day to be on my own terms."

Sakura nodded and went back to checking her supplies and provisions. The various medical concoctions she was taught by Kabuto filling up her pouches. The cost of preparedness greatly outweighed the consequences of its opposite. She was not sure if it would be enough.

Their training brought them leaps and bounds above where they had been, giving them confidence, and they knew it would not be enough. Their opponent had decades of experience over them and was not above using any means at his disposal to claim his prize.

She wished they could return to the days before Naruto died, to the time when they were ignorant of the happenings around, it was far too late for such thoughts to implant themselves, for even if they could return they would only be unprepared for this battle. It was better this way.

She stood when the last of her packs was inspected, and she sealed them in a scroll. In a matter of hours, they would be letting and shedding blood together. the shadow was upon them, and there was a good chance this would be their end. Her hands trembled as she let the thought washed over her, and she ruthlessly crushed it. They had no need for distractions. They were about to face down the beast.

* * *

 **A/N: Guys I wanted you all to know that I have a book out on Amazon called _Beyond the Ethereal: the First Orbital_ and I would appreciate it if you checked it out.**


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